The Florida State Seminoles are officially in a tailspin.
Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, FSU dropped its fifth straight game - and this one wasn’t close. The Seminoles were overwhelmed from the jump by a sharp-shooting Dayton squad, falling 97-69 at UD Arena. The 28-point loss matched the largest deficit of the night, capping off a stretch where Florida State has now lost five in a row by an average of more than 24 points per game.
Now sitting at 5-6 in Luke Loucks’ first season at the helm, FSU is still searching for answers - especially away from home. The Seminoles are winless in five games outside of Tallahassee this season, including an 0-2 mark in true road contests.
Meanwhile, Dayton continues to thrive at home, improving to 9-4 overall and a perfect 7-0 on their own floor. The Flyers now lead the all-time series with FSU 4-3, including a 4-1 edge at home.
This was the first meeting between the programs since 1981 - and Dayton made sure to make it count.
Looking for a spark, FSU made more changes to its starting lineup, rolling out Martin Somerville, Robert McCray V, Lajae Jones, Chauncey Wiggins, and AJ Swinton. The shake-up offered mixed results.
Jones led the starters with 14 points and eight boards, Somerville chipped in 11 points, and McCray added 10 points and a team-high three assists. But the rest of the group struggled.
Wiggins had a rough night, going 0-for-5 from the field and pulling down just one rebound. Swinton opened the second half with a three - his only points of the game - and added a rebound and two assists.
Off the bench, Kobe MaGee gave the ‘Noles a much-needed scoring lift, dropping a team-high 15 points. Florida State’s reserves accounted for 31 of the team’s 69 points, a bright spot on an otherwise difficult night.
But the numbers tell the story. FSU shot just 36.2% from the field (21-of-58) and 29.6% from beyond the arc (8-of-27).
They managed to get to the line with some consistency, hitting 19-of-27 free throws (70.4%). The Seminoles actually won the rebounding battle 37-35, including a 14-6 edge on the offensive glass that led to an 11-8 advantage in second-chance points.
Still, those positives were overshadowed by a rash of turnovers and a parade to the foul line - for Dayton. FSU coughed up the ball 20 times, leading to 22 Flyer points.
And the Seminoles were whistled for 30 fouls, allowing Dayton to shoot a staggering 47 free throws. The Flyers converted 40 of them - an 85.1% clip - and that alone would’ve been enough to win most games.
Dayton didn’t just live at the line - they were efficient from the field too. The Flyers shot 49% (25-of-51) and had six players in double figures, led by Javon Bennett’s 25 and De’Shayne Montgomery’s 20.
They controlled the paint with a 34-24 scoring edge and ran the floor better, outscoring FSU 20-7 in fastbreak points. Dayton also moved the ball well, finishing with 15 assists to just 12 turnovers.
Defensively, the Flyers were disruptive. They racked up six blocks and 11 steals, keeping FSU off balance all night. The Seminoles managed two blocks and seven steals in return, but it wasn’t nearly enough to slow down a Dayton team that dictated the pace and controlled the scoreboard from start to finish.
Now, FSU heads back to Tallahassee looking to regroup and finish non-conference play on a stronger note. They’ll host Mississippi Valley State on Friday, December 19 at 7 p.m., followed by a matchup with Jacksonville on Monday, December 22. With ACC play looming, the Seminoles have work to do - and not much time to do it.