Florida State women’s basketball’s ( 23-7, 13-5 ) season finale didn’t end on a winning note after it fell to No. 15 Duke, 71-57 on Sunday during Senior night in front of 2,829 fans at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The loss ended FSU basketball’s four-game winning streak, completing the regular season with a 23-7 record.
However, the Seminoles did enough to clinch the No. 4 seed in the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, earning them a double-bye in the first and second rounds.
“It’s huge. That’s was our goal this year was to finish in the top four in the ACC in such an amazing, strong conference,” FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff said.
“That’s really saying something, and to be able to say that we went into this game with a chance to be the third seed, fourth seed. I’m so proud of that, so proud of these girls.”
Here are takeaways from FSU’s loss to Duke.
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Big night for Makayla Timpson on Senior night
Makayla Timpson was one of the four players honored before the game during Senior Night. She received a standing ovation from the Tucker Center as she walked to the middle court with her family.
After the game, Timpson reflected on her record-breaking career at FSU and after playing her last home game at the Tuck with her teammates.
“I will just say my journey has been great. Just being at the university, I’m grateful for all my four years here, meeting a lot of new people, enjoying my teammates, getting to know them, getting to know their families, and becoming the player I want to be,” Timpson said.
“I’m grateful for my coaches for pushing me each and every day in practice. It is great overall, and I’m just thankful for my experience here.”
On the court, she didn’t disappoint. While FSU’s offense struggled, Timpson kept the Seminoles alive and was the only Seminole who finished in double figures with 25 points, shooting 11 of 19 from the field and eight rebounds.
“I was locked in. I wanted to get the command, but we just had a couple of mistakes, that we wanted to limit, especially like the fast break points,” Timpson said.
“We limited those if we would have had our had in-game tonight. I feel like we were pretty locked in. “
More: Ta’Niya Latson, Makayla Timpson lead No. 24 FSU basketball to upset victory over No. 4 Notre Dame
FSU basketball falls apart in the fourth quarter
The Seminoles kept the game close throughout. Both tied the ball seven times and had nine lead changes. The Blue Devils turned the corner in the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run that gave them a 10-point lead.
FSU was outscored 22-10. The Seminoles had no answer from Duke’s freshman Toby Fournier. She had 20 points in the second half and led the game with 28.
“She had a really, really good game, and so there were two actions that we just struggled to to figure out a way to stop, and they took advantage of that, mostly through her,” Wyckoff said.
It was a rough shooting night for the Seminoles as they were 24 for 66 from the field and 3 for 16 from 3. Duke’s defense made things uncomfortable for FSU to create shots, especially from its best player, Ta’Niya Latson.
The junior guard held to nine points, one of her lowest-scoring performances all year. She made only three shots out of 21 shots and was 1 for 8 from behind the arc.
O’Mariah Gordon also had nine points, shooting 4 of her 14 shots and 1 for 4 at the foul line. Sydney Bowles and Carla Viegas were held scoreless, as the Duke’s defense ensured they were offensively nonfactors.
“Duke is a really good basketball team,” Wyckoff said. “They make everything tough, and so we’ll learn from this one.”
More: FSU basketball keeps winning without Ta’Niya Latson. That bodes well for Seminoles’ future
What’s next for FSU basketball
FSU is moving forward to the postseason. The Seminoles will be in Greensboro, North Carolina, all week for the ACC Tournament, which begins on Wednesday at the First Horizon Coliseum.
With the Seminoles holding the fourth seed, they won’t play until the quarterfinals. They play the winner of the Game 4 matchup on Friday at 11 a.m. The semifinals will be on Saturday, and the Championship round will be on Sunday at 1 p.m.
More: FSU basketball prediction vs. Notre Dame: Who will win ACC showdown tonight? Here’s our pick
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Here are 3 takeaways from FSU basketball vs. Duke
