Nov. 18, 2009

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida State's defense shut down Stetson Wednesday night, holding the Hatters to just 10 first-half points in an 80-38 win.

Deividas Dulkys led four Seminoles in double figures with 13 points, but it was FSU's defense that led the way. Florida State blocked 10 shots, forced 17 turnovers and held Stetson to 27.5 percent shooting.

"I was impressed with the fact that this team seems to be committed to defending," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "That's something we've worked very hard trying to instill in them."

Stetson's 10 first-half points tied the Tucker Center record for the fewest points FSU allowed in a half. The Hatters' 38 total points broke the Tucker Center record and were the fewest FSU allowed in a game since March 2, 1979.

The Seminoles (2-0) held the Hatters (1-2) to just three first-half field goals and used a balanced scoring attack to enter halftime with a 36-point lead. FSU held Stetson without a field goal for the final 11:37 of the first half.

Sophomore forward Chris Singleton said that defensive pressure is what the Seminoles expect from themselves.

"The coaches preach it every day," Singleton said. "We know that if you want to play, you have to play defense."

Stetson finally ended its scoreless drought with Mark Lohuis' 3-pointer with 16:31 left in the game, but FSU led by as many as 49.

Hatters coach Derek Waugh called the game the "longest 40 minutes of my life," and said FSU's size made it difficult to run his offense.

"Everybody inside just made it difficult for us to get into the paint and score," Waugh said. "We're a smaller, quicker-type team, so that took away a lot of our offensive ability."

Singleton scored 12 for FSU, and Xavier Gibson and Ryan Reid each scored 11.

Tyshawn Patterson led Stetson with a game-high 15.