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
