Jamir Watkins scored a game-high 30 points to propel Florida State to a 73-65 victory over Rice on Saturday night at the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k24 in Houston.

The Seminoles are 2-0 for the second straight season after never trailing against the Owls, though Rice (1-1) did keep the margin within single-digits for most of the contest. Florida State began to pull away with a 13-2 surge that gave it a 68-53 lead with 2:30 remaining.

Malique Ewin had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Seminoles, who outscored the Owls 30-20 in the paint.

Watkins kickstarted Florida State’s offense by scoring nine of the team’s first 11 points and finished with six rebounds and three steals. He shot 7-for-14 from the field and went 14-for-22 from the free-throw line as he effectively attacked the rim.

Watkins helped seal the game down the stretch by making five consecutive free throws in the final 1:47.

Alem Huseinovic led Rice with 14 points and shot 4-for-10 from 3-point range, while Trae Broadnax had 10 points and six rebounds. Kellen Amos had 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting but fouled out with 3:04 left in the game.

The Seminoles led 33-23 at halftime before the Owls opened the second half on a 9-0 run, getting two 3-pointers from Huseinovic and one from Broadnax. Florida State answered with four points for a 37-32 lead, and Rice never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

The Seminoles kept the Owls from taking the lead with pesky defense, which turned 17 Rice turnovers into 23 points. Meanwhile, Rice managed just seven points off of Florida State’s 13 giveaways.

Florida State outshot the Owls 42.6 percent (23-of-54) to 35.8 percent (19-of-53) and held a 15-8 advantage in transition points.

The Seminoles will next host Tarleton State on Tuesday, while Rice welcomes Louisiana-Monroe to Houston the same night.

–Field Level Media