TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Michael Snaer is making these last-second 3-pointers look routine.
Snaer made his second game-winning basket in a week, drilling a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift Florida State to a 73-71 win over Maryland on Wednesday.
“I got a clean look tonight,” Snaer said. “I knew it was going in once it left my hand.”
Ian Miller dribbled into the lane, momentarily appearing that he had lost possession. Maryland defenders swarmed Miller and the ball, but he then delivered a pass right to Snaer.
“Miller looked like he was tripping; we just kind of panicked and left Snaer wide open,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. “You knew he was going to make it.”
It was the second last-gasp 3-pointer in seven days for Snaer, who also lifted the Seminoles to a 60-57 win on Jan. 24 when he banked in a 25-footer at the buzzer to beat Clemson.
He now has made four 3-pointers to win games in the past 13 months. He also had two buzzer-beating 3-pointers last season to give Florida State wins over Duke and Virginia Tech.
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton could only watch the latest Snaer shot on Wednesday, which took place in front of the Seminoles’ bench.
“I’m not real sure I had any thoughts in my mind other than, ’I sure hope that that ball falls in,’” Hamilton said.
Snaer had 19 points and Okaro White added 14 points for Florida State (12-8, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), which had lost three of its last four games.
Maryland’s Dez Wells scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half, shooting 8 of 12 from the floor. But the Terrapins fell short as Alex Len, who averages 13 points per game, scored a season-low four points.
Len had a chance to put Maryland ahead, going up and grabbing an alley-oop pass, but he could not put the ball in the basket with 13 seconds left. After Snaer’s basket, Wells had a desperation shot at the buzzer from near midcourt, but the shot was off.
The Terrapins (15-6, 3-5) have lost two straight, including Saturday’s 84-64 loss to Duke.
Maryland led 62-54 with 6:56 to go, but Florida State chipped away at the lead and tied the game at 66 on Ian Miller’s jumper with 2:32 left.
The Terrapins outrebounded Florida State 36-20 and shot 53 percent (15 of 28) in the second half but couldn’t overcome 16 turnovers.
“Never thought we were going to lose,” Turgeon said. “It just felt like we were in control.”
Florida State also made the most of its opportunities at the free-throw line. White made 10 of 10 free-throws for the game, and the Seminoles shot 14 of 16 from the line in the second half.
Miller, playing on an injured foot that has kept him from practicing, had 10 points and the assist on the final shot by Snaer.
“For him to come out and give us 10 points and give us good leadership on the floor really made a big difference in the game,” Hamilton said.
Center Boris Bojanovsky scored six first-half points for Florida State. He finished with a career-high eight points.
Maryland’s Logan Aronhalt scored 11 points, putting him in double figures for just the fourth time this season and the first in ACC play.
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