Florida State tightened the screws on defense to start the second half after a lethargic first and pulled away to defeat Charleston Southern 88-67 on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.

Leading 38-32 at intermission, the Seminoles behind Terrance Mann and Johnathan Isaac extended the lead by scoring the first 11 points to take control in the first four minutes of the second half. Mann hit a jumper, dished out an assist, had two steals and a pair of rebounds in the spurt.

Isaac nailed a 3-pointer and a dunk and the Seminoles (1-0) were just starting to roll. FSU's smothering defense, dominance on the boards and timely shooting doomed the Buccaneers.

Guard Dwayne Bacon was just warming up and his back-to-back 3-pointers took the air out of Charleston Southern's attempt at a comeback.

Bacon led the way for the Seminoles with 23 points and nine rebounds. Xavier Rathan-Mayes contributed 12 points while Isaac added 10 points.

Freshman Christian Keeling, playing in his first game, led the Buccaneers with 16 points. Cortez Mitchell added 14.

Raemond Robinson, who led the Big South last year in 3-point percentage shooting just over 42 percent, struggled on Saturday, otherwise the outcome might have been different. The senior guard scored two points on 1-of-4 shooting.

The Seminoles were opening their season with a bad taste from last year's disappointing campaign still lingering. FSU failed to make the NCAA Tournament after losing five of its final seven games.

Then, a second-round loss in the National Invitational Tournament and now some say Leonard Hamilton, who is entering his 15th season as head coach in Tallahassee, is on the hot seat.

The first half did little to assuage some of those fears as the Seminoles trailed early, opened up a double-digit lead and then took their foot off the gas and let the Buccaneers back in.

The Seminoles controlled the boards and had a 42-30 advantage. Florida State's defense also turned the Buccaneers over 15 times.