FSU beats Georgia State on Tuesday despite 22 points from former Randolph-Clay star Joe Dukes

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said the time for ugly wins needs to end.

Thanks to former Randolph-Clay and current Georgia State star Joe Dukes’ 22 points — 12 of which came on 4 3s to finish with a team high — The Seminoles (8-2) watched double-digit leads fade away in both the first and second halves on Tuesday night. Yet, Solomon Alabi’s career-high 22 points was enough to defeat Georgia State, 62-55.

Florida State led by as many as 17 points in the second half, but the Panthers (5-6) cut the Seminoles’ lead to four on Trae Goldston’s jumper with 1:43 remaining. Goldston’s jumper with 32 seconds left fell short and Florida State iced the game on the free throw line.

“It was one of those games that would give you gray hairs, if I had some hair,” Hamilton said.

With SEC foe Auburn visiting Thursday and a tough ACC schedule inching closer, Hamilton said the Seminoles were running out of opportunities to play poorly and still win. Florida State hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final 22 seconds to win, but shot just 58.6 percent from the line for the game and committed 19 turnovers.

“One of the things that we’re fighting with this team is that we have not totally committed ourselves to executing within a system,” Hamilton said. “It’s not a selfish thing. We’re just making poor decisions.”

The Seminoles stayed ahead thanks to Alabi’s command of the paint.

Along with his career-best scoring night, he tied a career high with six blocks and missed just one shot from the floor. Alabi was one of just two double-digit Florida State scorers, with freshman Michael Snaer adding 10 points.

“When the game is on the line, I feel the team and the coaches believe in me,” Alabi said. “They trust in me. That gives me the confidence to step up and make the play.”

The Seminoles raced out to a comfortable 15-point lead in the first half, outscoring the Panthers 19-2 over a 7:17 span. Yet Florida State scored just seven points in the final 9 minutes before the break.

Georgia State coach Rod Barnes said Florida State’s length and athleticism overwhelmed his players at the start, but they settled down and made a strong run.

“We had some opportunities to close the gap, but we missed some good shots,” Barnes said. “Against a good team like that, you can’t do that.”