The Florida State women's basketball team battled but came up short of a signature win Thursday night.

The Seminoles trailed by as little as four points late in the third quarter at No. 4 Louisville, but the Cardinals pulled away late, beating FSU 75-62.

Now, FSU returns home needing both more wins and quality wins to boost its postseason resume. The Seminoles (9-9, 3-5 in ACC) have a chance for the former but not the latter when they host Virginia (3-14, 0-7) Sunday at noon at the Tucker Civic Center.

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The Cavaliers haven't just lost all seven of their ACC games so far. They have lost all their games by at least nine points and have lost four of them by more than 20 points.

This game is FSU's Faculty and Staff Appreciation game. All FSU faculty and staff members can get two free tickets at the Tucker Civic Center ticket window starting at 11 a.m.

Tournament streak in jeopardy?

Trips to the NCAA Tournament have been almost an annual occurrence for the FSU women's basketball team under head coach Sue Semrau.

The Seminoles have made each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments and have missed just one since 2005.

But just before the halfway point of the 18-game conference play slate, FSU doesn't yet have the resume of a team that will be keeping that streak alive.

In Charlie Creme's latest bracketology update for ESPN, he has eight ACC teams included in the field of 68, tied with the SEC for the most bids by any conference.

This list of eight ACC teams includes a pair of No. 1 seeds in Louisville and NC State and a pair of No. 5 seeds in Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.

The list does not include the Seminoles, however, who currently sit 10th in the ACC standings.

The trend of the last few years seems to indicate that teams which finish .500 or better in ACC play have made the NCAA Tournament. If that is the landmark, FSU would have to win at least six of its final 10 regular season games.

In addition to the sheer number of wins, FSU could boost its postseason positioning in a major way with some quality wins. Currently, the Seminoles' best win this season came against Wake Forest, which ranks 95th in the NET Rankings.

The good news is the back half of FSU's ACC schedule has plenty of opportunities for big wins. It includes games against NC State (No. 2 in NET), Notre Dame (17), Duke (38), Boston College (48), North Carolina (5) and Georgia Tech (18).

Air Mariah doing it all

O'Mariah Gordon has definitely lived up to her "OMG" nickname as a true freshman.

The Bradenton native, who was last year's Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Basketball for the state, has made an instant impact in her first season with the Seminoles.

Her 6.9 points per game are the fourth-most for the Seminoles this season and she's been FSU's best three-point shooter, hitting 37.5% of her perimeter shots.

Gordon got the start at point guard against Louisville and has proven herself to be one of the best distributors in the ACC. She's averaging three assists per game and her 1.42 assist-to-turnover ratio is fifth-best among ACC players.

Additionally, she may stand three inches shorter than any other member of FSU's roster at 5-foot-4, but that hasn't stopped her from wrangling 2.7 rebounds per game, more than multiple Seminoles who see the court more than her.

In ACC play, those numbers for Gordon have all risen. Through eight conference games, she's averaging 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Florida State vs. Virginia

When: Sunday, noon

Where: Tucker Civic Center

TV/Radio: Bally Sports Florida or Regional Sports Network/96.5 FM or Seminoles.com

Reach Curt Weiler at cweiler@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @CurtMWeiler.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: O'Mariah Gordon rising to the challenge for FSU in ACC play