No. 9 Duke Wins Fourth Straight, Beats FSU 88-70

DURHAM – No. 9 Duke had six players in double figures and shot .516 from the field to defeat Florida State, 88-70, in Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Freshman Paolo Banchero led the way with 17 points – 13 in the second half – to go with eight rebounds as the Blue Devils (23-4, 13-3 ACC) picked up their ninth win in the last 10 games. After the teams traded baskets over the first 12 minutes, senior Joey Baker came off the bench and knocked down a season-high 4-of-5 three-pointers to help Duke close the first half on a 12-2 run and head into the break with a double-digit lead.

Duke would not let the Seminoles (14-12, 7-9 ACC) get closer than eight the rest of the way. Junior Wendell Moore Jr., had a hand in every facet of the game, finishing with 16 points, five boards, seven assists and six steals, while freshman Trevor Keels dished out a game-high eight dimes. Fellow rookie AJ Griffin went for 15 points and sophomore Mark Williams continued his string of high efficiency from the field with a 5-of-7 shooting night for 10 points and six rebounds.

The win allowed Duke to avenge last month’s 79-78 overtime road loss in Tallahassee, as well as push into sole possession of first place in the ACC.

Matthew Cleveland scored 16 points to lead the, who started the game 16-of-23 shots (.696) to offset Duke’s own strong offense in a rowdy Cameron Indoor.

That included a run of seven straight made shots over nearly six minutes of game action, which had FSU down just 40-39 on Wyatt Wilkes’ 3-pointer with 3:53 left.

But Duke answered with the game-changing run, which included consecutive Baker three’s. Then came a spectacular transition sequence with Moore throwing a halfcourt bounce pass to Griffin for a rim-rattling dunk and a 51-41 lead in the final minute of the half.

Jalen Warley added 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Seminoles.

The Blue Devils head into a three-game road swing, beginning on Wednesday at Virginia. The game tips at 7 p.m. on ESPN.