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
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 | 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 |