Florida State defeats DePaul 83-67 in Paradise Jam

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) - It took Florida State about four minutes to get right back on track at the Paradise Jam.

Dwayne Bacon scored 19 points, Malik Beasley added 11 and the Seminoles used a 21-3 spurt over a 4-minute stretch of the first half to take control in what became an 83-67 win over DePaul on Saturday night.

Florida State (3-1) scored on 10 consecutive possessions during that flurry, when a 16-15 lead turned into a 37-18 margin. The Seminoles maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

Beasley was the first Florida State freshman to open his career with three 20-point games; that streak was snapped, as was Xavier Rathan-Mayes' 11-game streak of double-figure-scoring games going back to last season. Rathan-Mayes finished with just two points, missing all six of his attempts from the floor.

And it didn't matter. Florida State had more than enough.

Aaron Simpson came off the bench to lead DePaul (1-3) with a career-high 20 points, 19 in the second half. After missing his only two shots before intermission, he finished 7 of 10 from the field, making all five of his 3-pointers after halftime.

Myke Henry added 15 points for the Blue Demons, 13 in the first half. Billy Garrett Jr. added 12 for DePaul, which missed 13 of its 23 free throws.

TIP-INS

Florida State: The Seminoles had lost three of their last four games against Big East schools. ... Florida State has now won 12 consecutive games when scoring at least 80 points.

DePaul: The Blue Demons made seven 3-pointers, matching their total from the season's first three games combined. ... DePaul has committed 54 fouls in its first two games in the Virgin Islands. ... Won on the last time the two teams meet, 80-74 in the Great Alaska Shootout 15 years ago.

UP NEXT

Florida State: Faces Ohio in the game for fourth and sixth on Monday.

DePaul: Meets Norfolk State on Monday in the game for seventh and eighth.