Phil Cofer scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half, Terance Mann added 11 and made a key block leading to M.J. Walker's clinching dunk with 1 second remaining, and Florida State held off Louisville 80-76 on Saturday.
The Seminoles broke a 57-all tie with six unanswered points and ending with Cofer's 3-point play. Their lead stretched to eight a couple of times before they had to fight off the Cardinals' late charge that got them within 78-76 with 24.7 seconds remaining.
Mann's two missed free throws with 17.4 seconds left opened the door for Louisville, but he recovered to block V.J. King's shot 11 seconds later and lead to Walker's dunk that sealed the hard-fought win. FSU (17-6, 6-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from its loss to Wake Forest to hand Louisville (16-7, 6-4) its second straight defeat.
Braian Angola had 13 points, Christ Koumadje 11, and Trent Forrest 10 for the Seminoles, who shot 52 percent after halftime to take control of a tight game featuring 11 lead changes and seven ties.
Deng Adel had 19 points and Quentin Snider 15 for the Cardinals, who lost their second in a row.
BIG PICTURE
Florida State: The Seminoles offset 40 percent first-half shooting by outrebounding the Cardinals 6-0 offensively, leading to a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points for a 39-38 lead at the break. They were even at 10 in paint points before taking control to win that category 34-24 and the boards 43-34.
Louisville: The Cardinals had their chances but shot 36 percent in the second half and missed several free throws down the stretch that could have closed the gap much sooner. Snider's five straight points got them within a basket with another opportunity to tie, but King's blocked attempt led to the clinching basket. Ray Spalding had 13 points and nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
Florida State hosts No. 2 and first-place Virginia on Wednesday, seeking its fourth win this season over a ranked foe.
Louisville hosts Syracuse on Monday night, seeking its fourth straight series victory over the Orange.