Saint Louis fell 81-59 to No. 11 Florida State on Saturday in the Metro by T-Mobile Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.
SLU falls to 8-4 on the season, while Florida State improves o 11-1.
The Seminoles led wire-to-wire and forced the Billikens into 18 turnovers, including 12 in the first half. The Billikens were hampered by 30.2 percent shooting from the field, while Florida State shot 55.4 percent from the floor.
Javon Bess led the Billikens with 16 points, while Carte’Are Gordon added a career-high 14 points and seven rebounds.
Jordan Goodwin registered eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals. Tramaine Isabell Jr. scored seven points and recorded his 1,000th career point on a 3-pointer in the second half.
Florida State jumped out to a quick lead in the first half and never looked back. FSU’s David Nichols, who scored a career-high 19 points, buried a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to send the Seminoles into the locker room leading by 15 (40-25).
FSU led by as many as 28 in the second half. SLU tried to rally late as the Billikens went on a 9-0 run heading into the final media timeout, but Florida State held on for the convincing win.
The Billikens are next in action on Sunday, Dec. 30, when they entertain Appalachian State at Chaifetz Arena in a 2 p.m. tipoff on FOX Sports Midwest.
