ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) Leticia Romero scored 25 points, and No. 10 Florida State used a big first-quarter run to pull away from No. 25 Gonzaga for an 87-69 victory Friday in the Paradise Jam tournament.
Imani Wright added 15 points, Shakayla Thomas 14 and Brittany Brown 11 for the Seminoles (5-1), who led 27-14 after the first quarter and went up by as many as 19 points in the fourth period.
Jill Barta scored 20 points for the Bulldogs (3-2), who were forced into 21 turnovers by Florida State's defense. That gave the Seminoles a 24-17 advantage in points off turnovers.
Wright scored 10 points during Florida State's 17-6 run to open the game, which gave the Seminoles their first double-digit lead. She kicked off the run with a layup, then ended it with back-to-back 3-pointers at the 5:10 mark.
Florida State took its biggest lead with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, when Nausia Woolfolk hit a reverse layup to put the Seminoles ahead 87-66 with 37 seconds left.
BIG PICTURE
Florida State: Has its first win over a Top 25 team since beating then-No. 18 Texas A&M on March 21, 2016, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga: Just days after cracking the Top 25 for the first time in two years, has now suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since dropping three straight between Feb. 18-25, 2016.
UP NEXT
Florida State: Wraps up play in the Paradise Jam on Saturday against Michigan.
Gonzaga: Faces Winthrop in its final tournament game Saturday.
