Surging Seminoles defeat Blue Devils
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State’s claim it is one of the best college basketball teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the nation has earned some legitimacy.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes came alive with 18 points in the second half after the Seminoles were paced early by Dwayne Bacon and Terance Mann, and No. 9 Florida State beat No. 7 Duke 88-72 in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,675 at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Tuesday night.
The game may be considered an upset according to the rankings, but the Seminoles (16-1, 4-0 ACC) were a 2.5-point favorite to beat the Blue Devils (14-3, 2-2). FSU held onto its largest lead of the game en route to its 12th consecutive victory, a new school record.
FSU, which earned its highest ranking since the 1992-93 season before the game, showed the persistence and moxie to compete with one of the top programs in the history of the sport.
Rathan-Mayes finished with 21 points after hitting two 3-pointers to give the Seminoles a 14-point advantage near the six-minute mark. His alley-oop pass to Jonathan Issac stretched the lead to 16 with three minutes left, putting a win out of reach for the Blue Devils.
Rathan-Mayes easily won the battle of point guards against embattled Duke guard Grayson Allen, who tripped Rathan-Mayes during the Seminoles’ matchup with the Blue Devils last season and was suspended one game for the same offense earlier this season.
The boos and profanitylaced chants rained loud and clear for Allen, a Jacksonville native who finished with nine points and five assists, every time he touched the basketball.
Duke assistant coach Jeff Capel, who is leading the team after legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski had back surgery Friday, pulled Allen from the game with about six minutes left. Allen never returned after getting tied up for a rebound with FSU forward Phil Cofer and seemed emotional on the bench.
The Blue Devils tried to use a full-court press to get back in the game late, but FSU’s depth was too much for Duke to handle.
Bacon finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Mann added 13 points and seven rebounds for FSU.
The Seminoles continue their daunting six-game stretch against top 25 teams Saturday at No. 11 North Carolina, followed by home games against No. 20 Notre Dame on Jan. 18 and No. 14 Louisville on Jan. 21.
Keith Stone came off the bench to score 14 points, helping lead No. 23 Florida (13-3, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) to an 80-67 win at Alabama (9-6, 2-1) Tuesday night.