After two impressive wins to start the season, Florida State played down to its competition for a half.

Daquan Davis scored nine points, while Jamir Watkins, Justin Thomas, Bostyn Holt and Chandler Jackson each had eight points in FSU’s 72-52 win over Tarleton State on Tuesday night. Watkins had scored in double figures in 21 straight games.

FSU’s defense was stingy throughout, limiting Tarleton to just 14 of 45 from the floor and 4 of 15 from the 3-point arc. The Seminoles also had 13 steals and six blocks.

On paper, it’s tough to criticize a 3-0 start. Or a double-digit win. But playing against an undersized opponent (no player was taller than 6-foot-6) and one ranked 277th by KenPom, the expectation was for FSU to put away an overmatched opponent early. And to look dialed in, ready to take on No. 20 Florida on Friday night.

That didn’t happen in a sloppy first half. FSU led 33-28 at the break, committing 12 turnovers and shooting just 12 of 18 from the free-throw line. The Seminoles made 1 of 2 free-throw attempts just before the half, and even allowed Matt Krass to drill a 3-pointer as time expired — a four-point swing that gave Tarleton some confidence at the half.

But the Seminoles raced out to an 8-0 run to start the half and wore out Tarleton with their depth, outscoring the Texans 27-10 by the TV timeout at the under-8 minute mark. The Seminoles were never threatened, but they didn’t exactly put away their opponent either.

There were some bright spots as 12 Seminoles scored, and starters were rested liberally late in the second half. Alier Maluk had six second-half points in 13 minutes, for example.

FSU struggled in some familiar spots, like 3-point shooting (4 of 20). And the Seminoles left plenty of points off the board at the line, making just 24 of 38 (63.2 percent). They had just four second-half turnovers.

FSU plays host to Florida on Friday at 6 p.m.