Isaiah Evans drops career-high 32 as Duke edge Florida State in a thriller to make ACC semis

Duke Blue Devils survived a late scare and defeated Florida State Seminoles 80–79 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Isaiah Evans led Duke with a career-high 32 points. He shot 11 of 20 from the field and knocked down seven three-pointers. Evans also added six rebounds and three assists. The Blue Devils improved to 30–2 and advanced to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of Clemson Tigers vs North Carolina Tar Heels. Duke is also chasing its third ACC basketball championship in four seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer.


Freshman standout Cameron Boozer had a big game as well, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Duke played the game without starters Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster, who are both out with foot injuries. Florida State fought hard behind Lajae Jones, who scored 28 points, and Robert McCray, who added 25. Chauncey Wiggins contributed 13 points.


The game stayed tight in the final minute. With Florida State down three, Wiggins backed Boozer into the paint and hit a fallaway jumper to cut the lead to one with 37.8 seconds left. Duke ran down the clock on its next possession, but Boozer’s 14-foot shot was blocked by Alex Steen.


Florida State quickly pushed the ball up the court for one last chance, but McCray’s three-point attempt missed just before the buzzer.

The second half was full of momentum swings. Florida State built an eight-point lead after a 12–4 run, highlighted by a McCray three-pointer. Duke answered with a huge 19–2 run to go ahead by nine with less than eight minutes remaining, sparked by a deep three from Evans off a Boozer assist.

Duke struggled at the free-throw line, missing nine attempts, but dominated the boards and finished with a 21-rebound advantage, which helped them hold on for the narrow victory.