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Booker scores 29 as Clemson edges past Florida State

Jan 13, 2008 - 6:57 AM CLEMSON, South Carolina (Ticker) -- Trevor Booker stepped up and made sure that Clemson's losing streak would not stretch to three games.

Booker scored 29 points and forced the first overtime with a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, leading the 19th-ranked Tigers to a 97-85 victory over Florida State in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle on Saturday.

Terrence Oglesby scored 19 points, James Mays added 17 and K.C. Rivers 12 for Clemson (13-3, 1-1 ACC), which came in with a two-game losing streak after falling to No. 1 North Carolina last Sunday and UNC-Charlotte on Wednesday.

Booker forced a tie at 64-64 with 1:58 left in regulation with a layup and then watched as Toney Douglas put the Seminoles back on top, 67-64, with a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left on the clock.

The Tigers called a timeout to set up the last play and, after Oglesby missed a 3-pointer with eight seconds left, Mays grabbed the offensive rebound and found Booker behind the arc. His attempt splashed through with three seconds left to force the extra session.

Mays got another big offensive rebound at the end of the first overtime after Uche Echefu had put Florida State (12-5, 1-1) on top, 78-76, with a 3-pointer at the 18-second mark. Mays grabbed Rivers' miss and put it back himself with one second left to force the second overtime.

"Booker's and Mays' shots were shots that big-time players make," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton told the Greenville News.

Booker, who finished the game 10-of-12 from the floor, scored five points in the second extra period to seal the win.

"It was tough to get ready for this ballgame, but we met this challenge," Clemson coach Oliver Purnell told the Greenville News. "A loss would've put us behind the eight ball."

Echefu finished with 24 points to lead the Seminoles, who shot 60 percent (15-of-25) in the second half to force the extra sessions.

Echefu kept the Seminoles alive in the opening half with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Florida State managed just 31 percent (8-of-26) shooting in the opening 20 minutes, with Echefu being the only player to amass more than four points.

The junior forward from Nigeria scored 10 straight points for the Seminoles over 4 1/2 minutes in the first half, pacing his team to an 18-12 lead with 11:09 remaining.

But Clemson responded with a 16-2 run over the next seven minutes to take a 28-20 lead with 4:31 left in the first. Hammond scored five points and Booker and Rivers chipped in four apiece.

Echefu would score three more before heading to the locker room, as Florida State cut it to 28-25 at the break.