Frustrated FSU falls short of upset at Duke

DURHAM, N.C. — Despite career-best days from seniors Phil Cofer and Braian Angola, No. 24 Florida State came up just short in its ACC opener and lost 100-93 to No. 4 Duke.

Playing in front of a packed house of 9,314 fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Seminoles (11-2, 0-1 in ACC) battled with the Blue Devils (13-1, 1-1), but Duke ended the game on a 9-0 run.

Cofer scored 22 points in the first half. He hit 9 of 10 field goals and was 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. He finished with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

Early on, Duke’s length had a clear impact on Florida State. As a result, Duke was ahead for much of the first half, leading by as many as seven points.

Thanks to Cofer, however, the Seminoles hung around, ending the first half on a 10-3 run and taking a 49-45 lead into halftime.

As impressive as Cofer was in the first half, Angola took over in the final 20 minutes, finishing with 16 second-half points on 6-of-12 shooting.

The second half saw 11 lead changes and three ties, with neither team taking a lead larger than eight points the entire game.

Tied at 93 with 2:58 remaining, however, the Seminoles went cold.

After shooting 50 percent to that point, FSU missed its final seven shots from the floor while Duke’s Trevon Duval hit a pair of contested layups, putting the Blue Devils ahead for good.