Latson selected to Naismith Player of the Year Midseason Team
FSU athletics
By Stephen Stone
Seminoles.com
Florida State women’s basketball sophomore guard Ta’Niya Latson is one of 30 players selected nationwide to the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Team, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The announcement last Tuesday means Latson adds another in-season national honor to her list. She is on the Wooden Award Late Season 20, the Wade Trophy list as well as the Ann Meyers Drysdale Top 10 Finalist list.
Last season, the Miami, Fla., native was also on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team.
She leads the ACC this season with five 30-point games in conference play, coming off a 34-point performance against No. 12 Notre Dame. She ranks fourth in the league with 22.2 points per game in conference play, ranks third in assists per game (5.23) and also third in assist/turnover ratio (1.62).
Latson and the Seminoles face a key five-game stretch to end the regular season, starting with a 71-63 road win at Wake Forest last Thursday.
Sunday, Latson turned in another second-half special to elevate the Seminoles to a pivotal 74-68 road win in Miami at the Watsco Center.
Latson weaved and drove through Miami’s tough defense all day, especially in the third and fourth quarters when she poured in 18 combined points. The sophomore finished with 29 points and went 13 of 22 from the floor along with three assists and three rebounds.
FSU improved to 19-8, 10-5 and will host Boston College on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Sunday’s win leaves Florida State in sole possession of fifth place in the ACC standings with three regular-season games, including Thursday night’s, remaining in the regular season.
The hard-fought six-point road win completes a regular-season sweep over the Hurricanes (16-9, 6-8), the first by FSU since the 2019-20 season. Latson sealed the win with 11 fourth-quarter points, perhaps none more important than her driving layup that gave the Seminoles a 67-58 lead with 3:57 remaining.
Junior forward Makayla Timpson inches closer to FSU history as she secured her 14th double-double of the season, recording 16 points and 11 rebounds while also draw six fouls. It’s the fifth consecutive double-double for Timpson, a career-long stretch.
Fifth-year guard Sara Bejedi came up huge with 19 points along with four 3-point field goals. Bejedi helped anchor the Seminoles in the first half, including in FSU’s 26-point second quarter, and came up with big plays on both ends of the floor late in the game.
The win by the Seminoles marks their ninth consecutive year of recording 10 or more wins in ACC play, which excludes the 2020-21 COVID-ravaged season when FSU was unable to play its full allotment of conference games. FSU also records its 10th consecutive winning season in ACC play. The Seminoles have not had a losing conference record since the 2013-14 season.
Junior guard O’Mariah Gordon chipped in with eight points, and provided one of the biggest plays of the game when her corner 3-point field goal with 2:39 left put FSU ahead 70-59 with 2:39 left. Miami made a late run and pulled to within 72-66 on a 3-pointer by Jaida Patrick with 53 seconds left, but FSU was able to run its in-bounds plays effectively and counter Miami’s extension of the game with made free throws.
The Canes took a 16-12 lead through the first quarter, boosted by Shayeann Day-Wilson’s eight points. Bejedi matched her opening performance with eight of her own. For the game, Day-Wilson led Miami with 21 points.
The Seminoles out-scored Miami 26-16 in an efficient second quarter, bolstered by Timpson’s 11 points in the frame. FSU used an 8-0 late in the quarter to take a 38-32 halftime lead.
