Isaiah Evans scored a career-high 32 points as top-seeded Duke held off eighth-seeded Florida State’s upset bid to win 80-79 Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.
Evans shot 11 of 20 from the floor and sank seven 3-pointers to go along with six rebounds and three assists for the Blue Devils (30-2), who move on to the semifinals and are eyeing what would be their third ACC title in four seasons under Jon Scheyer.
Freshman phenom Cameron Boozer added 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Duke, which was playing without starters Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster, who are sidelined with foot injuries.
Florida State (18-15) was powered by 28 points from Lajae Jones and Robert McCray’s 25 points. Chauncey Wiggins chipped in 13 points.
With the Seminoles down by three with under a minute to play, Wiggins posted up Boozer and backed him down in the paint before pulling up for a fallaway jumper. The ball sank through the net to cut the Blue Devils’ lead to one with 37.8 seconds left.
The Blue Devils drained the clock down on their next possession before taking a shot, but Boozer’s 14-foot attempt was stuffed by Alex Steen. The Seminoles charged down the court, but settled for a 3-pointer from McCray that missed the mark just before the buzzer sounded.
FSU and Duke traded multi-possession leads in the second half. The Seminoles went ahead by eight midway through the frame after a 12-4 run, capped off by McCray swishing a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Blue Devils immediately responded with a 19-2 run to take a nine-point lead with under eight minutes to play. That surge from Duke was highlighted by a deep 3-pointer from Evans off a Boozer assist.
Duke missed nine free throws, but won the rebounding margin by 21.
In the semifinals, Duke plays the winner of Clemson versus North Carolina.
