A Pair of Big Men Give Florida State the Surprise Impact They Need to Squeeze By Georgia Tech

Senior guard Michael Snaer hit the game winning lay-up to carry Florida State over Georgia Tech on Feb. 5, but there were a pair of 7-footers that aided the Seminoles to victory.

Junior center Kiel Turpin and freshman center Boris Bojanovsky turned in impressive, and unexpected, performances. Turpin had only averaged 14.2 minutes per game this season, but more than doubled that with 29 minutes against the Yellow Jackets. Turpin went 4-for-6 from the field for 10 points, and grabbed five boards. He was also terrific on the defensive end with three blocks and two steals. Four of the five Georgia Tech turnovers caused by Turpin resulted in Florida State points. Turpin also pulled down the final rebound of the game that led to Snaer’s amazing last second finish.

Bojanovsky, who had never scored in double figures prior to the Feb. 5 game, scored 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Being a 7’3” big man Bojanovsky blocked two shots on the night. His most significant block came with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second half on a Robert Carter shot that would have tied up the game for Georgia Tech.

Clearly Snaer was the most critical player for the Seminoles on this night, as he is most games, but the surprise play from the Florida State’s towers helped put them over the edge. Without the performance of any of these three, FSU would have fallen short by just a slight margin.