Nine in a row: No. 9 Seminoles knock off Miami in overtime
It looked like it just wasn't going to be Florida State's day.
The Miami Hurricanes were up by nine points with less than six minutes to go. They were up by seven with less than four minutes remaining.
But FSU just kept scratching and clawing.
The Seminoles tightened up on defense, forcing multiple turnovers down the stretch, M.J. Walker scored 9 points during a 13-4 run to close the second half and Devin Vassell scored the final five points in overtime as FSU extended its winning streak to nine with an 83-79 win over Miami in Coral Gables.
Walker, who played just two minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls, scored all 19 of his points after halftime.
His 3-pointer from the corner with 40 seconds left tied the game at 69.
He also scored the first basket of overtime.
Vassell hit the biggest one of overtime for the Seminoles.
After Miami's Chris Lykes made another off-balance, contested 3-pointer to bring the Hurricanes to within two, Vassell stepped into a 3-pointer from the wing and buried it to give the Seminoles a five-point lead.
After the team traded layups, Vassell then iced the game with two free throws with 6.4 seconds left.
He finished with a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Anthony Polite finished with 10 points and five steals. Trent Forrest added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The 5-foot-7 Lykes finished with 24 points but also had six turnovers.
In total, FSU's defense had 15 steals and forced 24 Miami turnovers. The Hurricanes, who played just seven players, averaged less than 12 coming into the game.
With the win, Florida State is now 16-2 on the season and 6-1 in the ACC. The Seminoles have won 18 of their last 20 regular-season conference games dating back to last season. They have also now won eight straight overtime games.
They get a week off before hosting Notre Dame next Saturday.