TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ It took only 10 minutes for the Florida State men's basketball team to turn a sluggish start into a 20-point lead and convincing victory.
Senior Phil Cofer had 19 points and six rebounds, junior Terance Mann added 17 points, and the No. 24 Seminoles (10-1) rebounded after their first loss of the season with a 69-58 win over Charleston Southern (4-6) at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Monday night.
Mann added six rebounds and seven assists, and senior guard Braian Angola scored 11 points for Florida State, which dropped from No. 19 to No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 after a 71-70 loss in the final seconds against Oklahoma State at the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise last Saturday.
FSU struggled mightily in the first half after being outrebounded 24-12 by the Buccaneers, and relying on four starters to edge a 28-26 lead at halftime.
But the Seminoles applied the defensive pressure, got into transition, and relied on contributions from their most experienced players in Mann and Cofer to produce a 16-4 run early in the second half, and increase the third longest home winning streak in the nation.
Only Cincinnati (31) and SMU (29) have won more than FSU's 26 consecutive home games _ a streak dating back to a win over Notre Dame on Feb. 27, 2016.
Florida State will host Charleston Southern on Thursday at 2 p.m., before beginning ACC play at Duke on Dec. 30.
