Florida State men's basketball opened its season at Donald L. Tucker Center with a win over Northern Kentucky 72-64 Monday.

FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said he was pleased with the performance from both ends of the field.

“We were extremely aggressive tonight,” Hamilton said after the game. “That’s part of the area of our game of our system that we are trying to improve on.”

Here are three things to know about FSU's win over Northern Kentucky.

Jamir Watkins extends his streak in double-figures. Taylor Bol Bowen has a career night

Jamir Watkin and Taylor Bol Bowen were FSU's top scorers with 17 points each.

It will be his 19th straight game in double figures for Watkins, which began last season on Jan. 9 against Wake Forest. The senior also added four rebounds and four steals.

Hamilton pointed out Bol Bowen's 17 points, which is a career-best for the sophomore forward. He also noted his improvement and impact because of his length as he continues to take steps forward.

“If you notice, most of his points came on hustle points,” Hamilton said. “He was very active and even though he's improved the perimeter. He's improved his ball handlinghe staying true to who he is.”

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FSU basketball struggled in shooting and rebounding

The Seminoles' shooting wasn't quite efficient, especially from behind the arc. FSU only shot 20 percent from 3.

Jerry Deng was the best shooter on the floor, nailing three triples from the wing and finishing with six points. Watkins' only three-pointer came in the first minute of the first half.

“That's kind of who we are right now. We're not a well-oiled machine. Still sputtering a little bit," Hamilton said.

"We are not going to shoot that we pulled it from three the other night like we couldn't miss, and tonight we had just the same level shots that didn't go in."

Northern Kentucky edged FSU with 35 rebounds. After FSU went on a few runs, it attempted to cut the lead by as low as 10 points.

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Leonard Hamilton believes deflections and depth are his positive outlook on FSU basketball

Hamilton's biggest takeaway from FSU's opening win was exceeding his expectations in deflections. He wanted his Noles to put up at least 35 deflections a night.

The Seminoles had 50 deflections and 14 steals, which led to 17 points in transition.

FSU also played 11 players, including four of his freshmen.

Freshman guard Daquan Davis didn't disappoint. Coming off the bench, he scored eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Allier Maluk, AJ Swinton and Christian Nitu saw significant minutes during the season opener.

"It's obvious that we have a little more quality depth, but right now, we are still trying to develop that cohesive unit and getting a sound rotation," Hamilton said.

"I think we are probably three or four more games away."

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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU basketball picks up first victory in season opener over Northern Kentucky