BlueWhiteIllustrated.com - Douglas and Kitchen come up clutch

February 5, 2009

Toney Douglas has shown time and again that he's quite capable of shouldering the offensive load for Leonard Hamilton's Florida State basketball team.

That doesn't mean the Seminoles' senior combo guard doesn't appreciate the kind of help he received from sophomore Derwin Kitchen Thursday night against Georgia Tech.

With the Yellow Jackets bent on denying Douglas the basketball, Kitchen provided a big lift in the Seminoles' critical 62-58 victory Thursday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

Snapping out of a five-game, confidence-sapping funk, Kitchen scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half as the Seminoles (17-5, 4-3 ACC) erased a six-point deficit.

"Derwin stepped up and answered (and) gave us what we thought he should have been giving us all along," Hamilton said. "I thought in the second half he let it all hang out."

Of course, so did Douglas, who poured in 15 of his game-high 21 after the break. Fresh off being selected as one of 13 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award - presented to the nation's top point guard - Douglas matched his career-high with six steals and scored 10 of the Seminoles' final 17 points on a night when they were precious.

"At the end, give them credit," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "Douglas played really well at the end and finished the game off for them.

"You've just got to keep the ball out of his hands as best you can. He's a great player; probably a first-team all-league guy."

For the better part of the night the Yellow Jackets (10-11, 1-7) succeeded in that area. Blanketed on defense, Douglas missed six of his first eight shots as Georgia Tech carried a 31-25 lead into the locker room at the half.

"The game plan for Georgia Tech was to faceguard me and not let me get the ball," Douglas said. "[Kitchen] was big-time. He helped a lot."

Kitchen's tentativeness in the first half left him on the bench for 13 minutes. He came out of the locker room a different player, perhaps inspired by a few well-placed words from his coach.

"I told them we had to grow up; we're better than we're playing," Hamilton said, summarizing what was likely a far more colorful halftime talk with his team.

"I just wanted to step up," said Kitchen, who hadn't scored more than six points over the last four games. "I've just been thinking too much - not nervous - but I've been second-guessing myself."

Opening the second half with a driving layup, Kitchen followed with a 12-foot jumper and just his fifth 3-pointer of the second in the first 4 ? minutes after the break. His aggressiveness and FSU's ability to protect the basketball - the 'Noles committed two second-half turnovers - and half-court defense loomed large down the stretch.

The effort on a night when they shot just 31 percent from the floor, could not have come at a better time. Instead of heading into Saturday's game at No. 10 Clemson a game under .500 in ACC play, the 'Noles are assured of no worse than a 4-4 first-half finish to their league schedule. That puts them squarely in the thick of the league race and - more importantly - poised to snap a 10-year NCAA Tournament drought with a solid second half of the season.

"Sometimes with youngsters, the importance of the game creates some anxiety," said Hamilton.

Fortunately, Douglas' veteran leadership, with contributions from fellow senior Uche Echefu and Kitchen, was more than the Yellow Jackets could handle.

"I thought they were really physical with us and our guys did a poor job," said Hewitt, who was irked with his team's constant complaining about the officiating. "That's how children play. We played like children in the second half.

"I give [FSU] credit for gutting it out. They were able to hang in the game because they really played well defensively."

Douglas' pull-up jumper in the lane with 5:10 remaining gave FSU a 48-46 lead it refused to relinquish. He tacked on two free throws after Tech's Gani Lawal was slapped with a technical foul for reaching over the end-line while defending an inbounds pass for a four-point cushion that stood up.

Florida State converted 14 of 16 free throws over the final 6:32 to help hold the Yellow Jackets at bay. Douglas was 8 of 12 from the line, off-setting a 6 of 14 shooting night that typified the Seminoles' offensive woes.

Hamilton seemed more relieved than pleased afterward.

"We were just very fortunate we got on a little run there in the second half and got some stops," Hamilton said, after the Seminoles limited their opponents to 27 points and 32 percent shooting in the second half.