Romero and Thomas Lead Seminoles Past Pitt

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – With the No. 20/19 Florida State Women’s Basketball team being down in numbers, sophomore Leticia Romero and freshman Shakayla Thomas rose to the occasion to lead FSU to a 58-43 conference win over Pitt on Thursday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

Romero, making her first career start and her fifth appearance, recorded FSU career highs of 19 points (8-of-12) and eight field goals made. The natural point guard tied her career best with seven rebounds and dished out three assists to just two turnovers in 30 minutes.

The Las Palmas, Spain, native did her best to run the offense on a night where FSU did not have the services of standout center Adut Bulgak, who suffered a concussion last game against Duke on Sunday and continues to be revaluated. The Seminoles (16-2, 3-1) were also forced to bring redshirt junior guard Morgan Jones off the bench because of a hip injury that prevented her from practicing early in the week.

“I anticipated that Pitt would be a really tough opponent,” FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. “They really handled (North) Carolina up at their place and played Louisville extremely close. This was their first road game, and I think that that showed, but I think our defense was a big part of that. We went on an 18-0 run in the first half, and that was largely because of our defense.”

Helping alleviate the undermanned Noles was Thomas’ presence in the paint. The athletic freshman from Sylacauga, Ala., notched her second career double-double with 13 points (6-of-10) and a career-high tying 10 rebounds. Thomas was also a force defensively with a career-high four blocked shots, as FSU blocked an impressive seven shots considering 53.5 percent (38 blocks) of its production was taken away with the injury to Bulgak. FSU’s seven blocks are its most in conference play this year.

The Panthers (11-5, 1-2) came off a resounding 84-59 home win last Thursday against then-No. 8 North Carolina, but made some self-inflicted mistakes with the help of some quick and athletic FSU defense. Very rarely did Pitt’s inside players find free passes to the lane, and its 3-pointer shooters were often contested from the outside. Pitt’s 43 points scored ties its lowest of the season as it lost to Princeton in its first game, 59-43. Princeton is one of the few remaining unbeatens in college basketball.

Senior guard Brianna Kiesel, one of the ACC’s top point guards, was held to six points (3-of-11) after entering the game averaging 22.5 over her last four games. She was part of a Pitt team that turned the ball over 23 times and mustered just six assists, including one assist to 13 turnovers at halftime.

FSU shot 25-of-65 (38.5 percent) from the floor while holding Pitt to 31.5 percent (17-of-54) from the field. The Panthers are the eighth FSU opponent this season to be held below 35 percent shooting.

Sophomore forward Ivey Slaughter was another important figure for FSU, recording eight points and seven rebounds as well as two blocks and two steals in just 16 minutes. She helped FSU win the rebounding battle, 47-42, to continue its streak of out-rebounding every opponent this season.

Florida State took a dominant 32-14 lead at halftime, as Pitt’s 14 points were the lowest scored by an FSU opponent this season. Pitt’s six made field goals was also the lowest by a first-half opponent, and the seventh time the Noles held the opposition to single-digit field goals made in the game’s first 20 minutes.

“Huge,” Semrau said of having a big halftime lead. “Especially with Ivey being in foul trouble. I wondered how we’d come out and thought we maybe relaxed some in some areas, but I got a chance to play a lot of players who deserve an opportunity to be on the floor. So that was fun to see.”

The decisive run was an 18-0 onslaught that gave the Noles a 20-4 advantage midway through the first half and held Pitt scoreless for 8:12. The run began with a layup by Kai James on a nice lob pass from Romero and ended with a pull-up mid-range jumper from Romero at the 8:54 mark. She finished the first half with 10 points, her third double-figure game in five appearances, on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor.

Thomas gave the Noles some strong play in the paint, adding nine points on 4-of-6 shooting with five boards. FSU forced Pitt into 13 turnovers and converted 16 points off the Panther miscues, and held one of the ACC’s top guards in Kiesel scoreless going 0-for-5. FSU shot 15-of-33 from the floor (45.5 percent), drilling its last three field goals of the half on a couple tough jumpers by Thomas and a fast break layup by Morgan Jones.

Florida State prepares for its fifth conference game as it travels to face Virginia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m.

For all information on Florida State Women’s Basketball, be sure to head to our Facebook (Facebook.com/FSUWomensBasketball), Twitter (@FSU_WBasketball) and Instagram (FSU_WomensBasketball) sites.

 

Publicado en: http://www.seminoles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=32900&ATCLID=209851241

La entrenadora de Florida State, Sue Semrau, encantada con el juego de Leticia Romero

Leticia Romero dirige el juego de Florida State (Foto: M.C.)

Miércoles, 14 de enero.

Las jugadoras españolas en la NCAA siguen causando sensación, aunque dos de ellas destacan por sus números: Marina Lizarazu, que empieza a despuntar en Iona, y Leticia Romero que, tras el calvario vivido en Kansas State, ya disfruta jugando a baloncesto en Florida.

 

La jugadora agüimense, que el pasado día 24 de diciembre recibió la noticia de su eligibilidad con Florida State, está dejando huella dos semanas después de saltar por primera vez a la cancha, como hizo en la victoria de su equipo frente a Duke, con 16 puntos, 7 rebotes y 4 asistencias.

Hasta el momento, Leticia Romero ha jugado cuatro partidos con la camiseta de las Seminoles (denominación que reciben los equipos deportivos de la Universidad de Florida State), y sobresale con 11,5 puntos, 5,3 rebotes y 4,3 asistencias en 25,3 minutos por encuentro.

 

La entrenadora de Florida State, Sue Semrau, al término del partido frente a Duke, y en declaraciones a ACC Digital Networks (canal de televisión de la costa atlántica especializada en deportes universitarios), señaló que "es importantísimo para el equipo contar con una jugadora que entiende el juego como lo hace Leticia Romero. Es una de las mejores jugadoras de España y mi meta es que se convierta en una de las mejores del mundo. Le hemos lanzado el reto", añadió.

 

Publicado en: http://domingomartin.blogspot.it/2015/01/la-entrenadora-de-florida-state-sue.html

No. 22 Florida State Downs No. 13/12 Duke

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – The 22nd-ranked Florida State Women’s Basketball team used an inspiring second-half effort to get an impressive 74-58 victory over No. 13/12 Duke on Sunday afternoon in a crowded Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles (15-2, 2-1) outscored the Blue Devils (11-5, 2-1) 40-21 in the game’s final 20 minutes by way of some suffocating man-to-man defense and timely shooting from the inside-out. Florida State went 12-of-24 in the second half while holding Duke to just 6-of-20, turning a 37-34 halftime deficit into a 16-point rout. Florida State’s 16-point win is its largest margin of victory in its 45 meetings with Duke, eclipsing a pair of 12-point wins in the 1991-92 season (W, 67-55) and the 1992-93 season (W, 84-72). The big victory also snapped an eight-game losing streak to Duke and was its fourth Top 25 win over the Blue Devils.

 

 “We told them that it was going to be a war on the boards and that’s exactly what it was,” FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. “I thought that we started out extremely well going to the boards on the offensive end and we weren’t shooting it well but we rebounded well. We still went into halftime with a deficit and let them shoot too well in the first half. We challenged them defensively and they really responded.” With Duke having eight student-athletes standing at 6-feet or taller, the Noles looked to junior center Adut Bulgak to help neutralize the nation’s top rebounding team. The Edmonton, Canada, native made quite the difference as she finished the game with 18 points (6-of-13) and 18 rebounds, her ACC-leading ninth double-double of the season as well as a career high in rebounds. Bulgak, who is the leader of FSU’s rebounding defense that ranks first in the ACC, became just the eighth Seminole to recorded at least 18 points and 18 rebounds in a game. She teamed with sophomore center Kai James to hold one of the nation’s top centers in Elizabeth Williams to just three points and three rebounds in 25 minutes. Williams, an All-American candidate, fouled out of the game with 1:16 left in the second half. “We always have an emphasis on rebounding,” Bulgak said. “My teammates boxing out allowed me to find open gaps. I didn’t feel a lot of pressure. It shouldn’t be pressure when it’s something you do all the time.” Duke entered Sunday’s game leading the nation in rebounding margin (+16.5) and second in defensive rebounding (32 per game). However, Florida State’s prowess on the glass took over as it out-rebounded Duke, 38-28, including 18 offensive boards.

 

Sophomore guard Leticia Romero co-starred in Sunday’s big win, scoring 16 points (6-of-10 shooting) while adding seven rebounds and four assists. In her four games with FSU, Romero has shot 50 percent or better from the field and used her size as a point guard to help on the glass against the tallest team in Duke history. Romero played a role in giving the Noles a 15-5 edge in second-chance points.

 

A huge part of FSU’s second-half comeback was the long-range shooting of redshirt senior Maegan Conwright. For the second straight game, she drained four triples and gave the Noles 13 points and five assists. FSU tied a school record with 31 3-point field goal attempts and tied its season high with nine made 3-balls. Also among FSU’s best passers was redshirt junior Morgan Jones, who showed excellent floor vision with her five assists. The Noles were aggressive against Duke, drawing 27 fouls and making 15 of their 19 free throw attempts (78.9 percent). In their three ACC games, FSU is shooting 83 percent (39-of-47) from the charity stripe. Duke was also held to just 14 points in the paint, by far its lowest total of the season. Sunday’s game became a back-and-forth affair in the second half, with both teams tied at 54-54 and just six minutes remaining. A mid-range jumper by sophomore Ivey Slaughter helped kick-start FSU’s strong finish to the game, as the Noles went on a 12-1 over the next 3:09 that created a 66-55 advantage and helped put the game out of reach. Romero was a big part of the run with a nifty layup and a huge 3-pointer from the corner off some tremendous ball movement. Conwright capped the scoring stretch with a 3-ball from the right wing to put FSU ahead 66-55 with just 2:31 left. With Duke trailing 66-58 following three free throws from Rebecca Greenwell, Conwright handled its full-court pressure exceptionally well and threaded a great pass to Bulgak for the finish with 1:39 left. Six consecutive free throws made by FSU ended the game. Duke shot 6-of-10 from 3-point range, led by Greenwell’s game-high 19 points and freshman Azura Stevens’ 17 points. Semrau now owns 31 Top 25 victories in her 18 years at FSU. The win was FSU’s third this season over an opponent ranked in the Top 40 of the RPI. The Seminoles return home for another important ACC matchup on Thursday, Jan. 15, as it hosts Pitt at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.

 

For all information on Florida State Women’s Basketball, be sure to head to our Facebook (Facebook.com/FSUWomensBasketball), Twitter (@FSU_WBasketball) and Instagram (FSU_WomensBasketball) sites.

FSU's Semrau, Romero Talk About Upset Win vs Duke .

Leticia Romero returns to the court

Commentary

NCAA granted former Kansas State transfer immediate eligibility on Dec. 24

Originally Published: January 4, 2015

By Graham Hays | espnW.com

 

   

AP Photo/Joe RaymondThe NCAA granted Leticia Romero eligibility on Dec. 24. In two games so far, she is averaging 10.5 PPG.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As a member of the Spanish national team that played the United States for a world championship this past fall, Leticia Romero has familiarity with big games against big opponents amid atmospheres that are, well, sizable. Friday night, standing in an otherwise empty hallway in Notre Dame's Purcell Pavilion after an exhausting effort on the court with a different team and against a different opponent, her eyes gleamed as she talked about having shared that stage with Brittney Griner, Sue Bird and some of the biggest and brightest stars in the sport.

But the spark didn't fade when the subject turned to the game in which she had just competed for Florida State, a 74-68 loss on the road against No. 4 Notre Dame in front of 9,149 fans who were alternately reserved, raucous and, finally, relieved. A win on a night that saw the Seminoles lead for the majority of minutes would have been better, but just being out there was worth savoring.

"I thought I wasn't going to play this season, so for me, right now, it's a blessing to get on the court," Romero said after scoring 15 points in 30 minutes off the bench. "Any game -- I don't care if it's Notre Dame or whatever team it is -- I'm just glad to play with them because I really like this team. It's really special. I chose this team this year, and I love the chemistry, how we play together. And we can play good teams, we can be there."

Just how difficult a journey it was for her to get here -- let alone there -- is underscored by the fact that not even two weeks before the game in South Bend, Romero had been at home in Spain, taking a holiday break from scout team duties during a redshirt season with the Seminoles and waiting for a debut most assumed was still 11 months away.

I thought I wasn't going to play this season, so for me, right now, it's a blessing to get on the court.

It has, in every sense of the phrase, been a long road for the sophomore guard whose arrival changes the complexion of the ACC.

At first denied a release from her scholarship at Kansas State after that school fired the coaching staff that had recruited her, this past spring, Romero became at least the temporary focus of what has been an ongoing national debate about the control schools and athletic departments wield over students. That it was neither attention she sought nor a byzantine bureaucracy that someone from a different country could even begin to navigate and understand on her own only made her story more compelling.

But when Kansas State eventually reversed course, albeit without much in the way of admitting fault or obstinance, Romero transferred to Florida State, most recently a successful basketball home to current Spanish international Leonor Rodriguez and whose cosmopolitan national championship women's soccer program ensures the athletic department is well versed in accommodating international students. Once Romero made her way to Tallahassee, her new school filed an appeal asking the NCAA to waive the redshirt season otherwise required.

"I think any time there is a hardship and there are mitigating circumstances, you should file to see if the NCAA is on the same page as you," Florida State coach Sue Semrau said, noting the coaching change at Kansas State and the challenges that ensued. "And they saw in her favor."

With one last flourish of bureaucratic magic, of course.

Romero's prior status as an ineligible transfer meant she could not travel with the team to road games. Given that players and coaches were set to scatter to the four corners of the map for a Christmas break immediately after a game Dec. 22 at Tulane, Romero left for Spain ahead of time in order to benefit from a few extra days at home. When Semrau received a phone call on the way to the game in New Orleans confirming that the NCAA would grant the player's hardship waiver and make her immediately eligible, Romero was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Florida State beat Tulane without her, with Romero watching the game on her computer in the wee hours of the morning at home. Waiting for her the next morning was a message from Semrau asking her to get in touch because there was a new development.

It was, Semrau hastened to add at the end the message, good news.

Naturally, given the rest of the saga, Romero's flight back to Tallahassee a few days later was canceled. And so, with one day of practice as something other than a scout team member, she made her Florida State debut Dec. 29 against Jacksonville and played 20 minutes in a blowout win. That and a few more practices constituted her preparation for Notre Dame.

For a long stretch of the first half, almost from the moment she checked in with only two minutes elapsed, Romero looked like the proverbial best player on the court in South Bend. That is saying something when Jewell Loyd is one of the other players on that court. Romero -- even after she ceded her opponent a head start by beginning the game seated next to associate head coach Lance White and getting instruction from Semrau as the coach walked the sideline -- at one point had personally outscored the fourth-ranked team in the nation 10-8.

She scored on a mid-range jumper, a spot-up 3-pointer and a gorgeous fadeaway after a strong drive. She ran the offense and got the ball to post players Adut Bulgak, Ivey Slaughter and Shakayla Thomas. She was in control, and so was Florida State until a late run, capped by Lindsay Allen's half-court shot at the buzzer, brought the Fighting Irish to within a point at halftime.

The second half was less kind. With a chagrinned Notre Dame making a more committed defensive effort, Romero totaled just three points and committed four turnovers after halftime. Without that special quality, despite an overall strong showing on the boards and in terms of effort, Florida State couldn't hold off the Notre Dame rally led by Loyd, Allen and Brianna Turner.

Romero looked down the stretch, understandably, like someone who needed a chance to catch her breath after a whirlwind two weeks of travel and on-the-job training. Turnovers were an issue for her as a freshman, albeit on a Kansas State team that needed her to force the issue, but at least on Friday, they weren't the product of selfishness or wildness.

"I think Morgan Jones is the same way. They just play basketball," Semrau said. "If somebody is there, they're going to throw it. And I love that, I really do. At the same time, I don't necessarily want to throw the ball to Ama Degbeon, who is a freshman from Germany, when Brianna Turner is behind her. We talked about putting Ama in jail, and that really wasn't fair to Ama. She'll learn that process, she'll learn her teammates and certainly learn the system and how we want to do it."

It will take some time to figure out exactly how the pieces fit together, though with Duke, Louisville and Syracuse ahead in the next four weeks, the first month of ACC play looks more difficult on paper than the second. Romero spent much of her 30 minutes on the court Friday with the ball in her hands. That will be a good thing for the Seminoles, but it will mean some adjusting for guards such as Maegan Conwright, Brittany Brown and Jones, as well as Romero herself. "As a point guard, you need to organize the team and look for the best options," Romero said. "I think I fit with this team because everybody has a different style of game and a different weapon, so it's cool to try to get the best of everybody. They are not selfish at all -- this is not a selfish team. We try always to get the better option. I like our post players -- they are such hard workers. If we are playing together, we are going to be really good."

It is probably too much to hope Kansas State and the NCAA emerged better entities for the experience Romero endured. It might, as has been the case throughout, be left to her to be the human in all of this. She looked the part as she prepared to board the bus Friday night. There was disappointment at defeat. But there was happiness to once again be on the court.

Not a pawn, just a player.

"It was just hard to go through that process, that time," Romero said. "I think I learned to be patient, to not let things come to my mind and [to] accept things that I can't control. I can't control if I have the release or not, so at some point, I just pray for it. I was just going to make the best of what I got. If I had to go to a junior college, I would go and just be the best I can be. If I get to play college, I choose FSU and try to beat every team in the country. That's it."

Publicado en: http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12120357/florida-state-seminoles-leticia-romero-returns-court

No. 4/4 Notre Dame Outlasts Florida State

 

Box Score    

Courtesy: Seminoles.com   
 Release: 01/03/2015

 

 

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Seminoles.com) –  The Florida State Women’s Basketball team endured a hard-fought defeat at No. 4/4 Notre Dame on Friday evening, falling 74-68 in front of 9,149 fans at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.

 

The Seminoles (13-2, 0-1) led for 25:59 of the game, and gave the Fighting Irish (13-1, 1-0) their first single-digit home win in conference play since joining the ACC in the 2013-14 season. The Irish stretched its regular-season win streak vs. ACC teams to 17 since joining the conference, but its victory was one of its toughest to come by.

“I’m very proud of the way we fought tonight,” FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. “We led the game for 26 minutes, but credit Notre Dame for how they played. I’m very proud of how many of our players performed.”

 

Freshman Shakayla Thomas led FSU with 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting, being able to create space inside. Sophomore guard Leticia Romero added 15 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point land, while redshirt junior Morgan Jones had 14 points.

 

FSU out-rebounded Notre Dame, 38-30, and grabbed 16 offensive boards. The Noles shot 40 percent (26-of-65) from the field, while Notre Dame got hot in the second half and shot 51.9 percent for the game. FSU’s bench outscored the Irish, 33-10.

The Noles stayed resilient, as they converted a turnover into a three-point play by Thomas in the paint to cut their deficit to just 59-57 with 3:54 remaining. Ultimately, Notre Dame made its free throws down the stretch to get the six-point victory. Junior guard Jewell Loyd finished with a game high 20 points on just 6-of-15 shooting, while Lindsay Allen added 18 big points for the Irish.

A layup by Notre Dame’s Madison Cable with 12:46 left gave the Fighting Irish its first lead at 46-45. Later, Jones drew a smart shooting foul off an inbound play and converted both freebies to knot the game at 49-49, giving Jones her sixth double-figure performance of the season with 10 points. Brittany Brown recorded her first field goal off an offensive put-back to tie the game again at 51-51 with 8:43 left.

The Noles jumped out to a 10-1 run to begin the second half, courtesy of a couple key 3-balls from Jones as FSU held a 39-29 lead. Notre Dame began to establish its rhythm on offense, but Thomas found ways to get open inside for the Noles as they took a 43-36 lead with 15:03 left.

Florida State’s defense held tough through the first 20 minutes as it took a 29-28 lead into the halftime locker room. Notre Dame’s 28 points were its lowest first-half total of the season, and it was just the second halftime deficit this season by the Fighting Irish.

When she was able to get her shot off, Romero was very efficient from the floor, going 5-of-6 for 12 points, including 2-of-2 from long distance. Trying for the last shot to end the half, Romero hit a beautiful runner jumper to the right side, only for Notre Dame’s Lindsay Allen to hit about a 45-foot runner right before the halftime buzzer to cut its deficit to just one point. UND was held to just 11-of-26 from the floor, while FSU shot 12-of-34.

FSU was able to hold Notre Dame’s chief playmakers Jewell Loyd and Briana Turner to a combined 10 points at halftime. The Noles also head a 22-16 rebounding edge, including eight offensive boards.

FSU tried to steal the momentum from the get-go, taking a 17-6 lead on a basket from Thomas with 9:06 left in the first half. Notre Dame would eventually close the gap and go on a 13-7 run capped by a basket from Loyd to cut its deficit to 24-19 with 3:53 remaining in the first half. Adut Bulgak would respond by hitting an open 3-pointer from the wing, the ninth game she has drilled a triple, to give FSU a 27-19 lead with 3:19 left.

A quick 6-0 run by the Irish included a contested layup by Kathryn Westbeld to cut FSU’s lead to 27-25 before Allen’s eventual buzzer-beating shot.

Florida State’s half-court ball pressure forced Notre Dame to miss six of its first seven shots as FSU held a 6-2 lead through the first media timeout. The Irish did not score its first basket until 3 ½ minutes into the game on a driving layup from Loyd.

Following a 6-2 lead, the Noles went on a 9-2 run aided by the play of Romero. The Las Palmas, Spain, native hit a few pull-up jumpers and drained a 3-pointer to help FSU to a 15-4 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half.

The Noles are back on the road with a matchup at Clemson on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m.

For all information on Florida State Women’s Basketball, be sure to head to our Facebook (Facebook.com/FSUWomensBasketball), Twitter (@FSU_WBasketball) and Instagram (FSU_WomensBasketball) sites.

 

Publicado en: http://www.seminoles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=32900&ATCLID=209832808