TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Isaiah Evans delivered the best performance of his young career Saturday, pouring in a career-high 28 points to lift No. 6 Duke past Florida State 91–87 in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
The sophomore guard was lethal from beyond the arc, connecting on six three-pointers — also a career high — on 14 attempts. Evans surpassed his previous scoring mark of 23 points, which he set earlier this season against Texas on Nov. 4.
Cameron Boozer provided steady support for the Blue Devils (13–1, 2–0 ACC), finishing with 17 points while posting season highs in both assists (nine) and steals (four). Duke relied on perimeter shooting throughout the game, hitting 12 of 27 shots from long range and finishing 28 of 53 overall from the field.
Florida State (7–8, 0–2) refused to go away. The Seminoles trimmed the deficit to two points late when Kobe MaGee drilled a three-pointer with 23 seconds remaining to make it 87–85. Forced to foul, Florida State sent Evans to the line, where he calmly knocked down both free throws with 12 seconds left.
MaGee had a chance to tie the game moments later, but his contested, off-balance three-point attempt missed with seven seconds remaining. Duke secured the rebound and closed out the win.
Florida State received strong offensive performances from multiple players. Chauncey Wiggins scored 22 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting night, matching his career high. Robert McCray V also added 22 points and dished out five assists. MaGee finished with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Despite a noticeable size advantage up front, Duke narrowly outrebounded the Seminoles 31–24. Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II led the Blue Devils on the glass with six rebounds apiece. Duke collected 10 offensive rebounds but turned those opportunities into just 11 second-chance points.
The Seminoles shot 31 of 58 from the field and knocked down 14 of 30 shots from beyond the arc, closely matching their season average of 11.4 made three-pointers per game entering the contest.
Up Next:
Duke travels to face No. 16 Louisville on Tuesday, while Florida State returns home to host N.C. State on Jan. 10.
