National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Duke 76, Florida State 67
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 17, 2024
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Florida
Officials: # Justin Porterfield, # Roger Ayers, # Jeff Clark
Attendance: 11500

Jared McCain quieted a sellout crowd at Florida State with a sensational shooting performance as he scored 35 points to lead No. 9 Duke to a 76-67 victory Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.

Jeremy Roach added 17 points, including eight in the final five minutes, as Duke (20-5, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its fourth straight and kept pace with first-place North Carolina in the ACC race.

With his painted nails, flowing locks and immaculate touch, McCain made a vivid impression. He hit his first eight shots, including six from beyond the arc.

When he stepped behind the arc and rattled in his seventh trey with 2 seconds left in the first half, McCain backpedaled off the floor with his index finger to his lips and his career-high already in the books with 25 points.

McCain's previous high was 23 points. He matched Zion Williamson's record for the most points in a game by a Duke freshman.

Jamir Watkins had 15 points and four blocks to pace Florida State (13-12, 7-7), which lost for the fifth time in its last six games, with all of the defeats coming by single digits. Cameron Corhen hit 7 of 10 shots for the Seminoles, scoring 14 points and pulling down nine rebounds.

Midway through the second half, McCain scored five points on one trip down the floor as he converted a pair of free throws after a Florida State technical foul, and then followed with a 3-pointer to put the Blue Devils up 60-49.

McCain cooled off in the second half, finishing 12 of 20 from the floor and 8 of 11 from beyond the arc.

McCain finished one shy of the Duke record for 3-pointers in a game. Sharing the mark with nine triples in a game are Shane Battier (2000) and J.J. Reddick (2005).

Florida State started fast, hitting 7 of its first 9 shots and taking a 16-11 lead before McCain took over the game.

In a 1:29 span, McCain hit three treys, capping an 11-0 run that put the Blue Devils up 22-16. From there, the Blue Devils led the rest of the way.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Duke   Florida State
Jared McCain 35 Scoring Jamir Watkins 15
Caleb Foster 4 Assists Jalen Warley 5
Kyle Filipowski 8 Rebounds Cam Corhen 9
Jeremy Roach 5 Free Throws Made Baba Miller 2
Jared McCain 3 Steals Jalen Warley 3
Ryan Young 1 Blocks Jamir Watkins 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Duke 76 46.4 10-16 14-20 11 28 1 8 17
Florida State 67 49.1 4-14 7-11 11 25 9 9 14