Isaiah Evans (32), Duke advances to ACC semifinals against Florida State

Isaiah Evans scored a career-high 32 points as top seed Duke held off eighth-seeded Florida State 80-79 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Evans shot 11 of 20 from the floor, made seven 3-pointers and had six rebounds and three assists for the Blue Devils (30-2). The Blue Devils advance to the semifinals and are looking for their third ACC title in four seasons under Jon Scheyer.

Freshman freshman 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) scored 28 points to 25 from Rajae Jones and Robert McCray in the win. Chauncey Wiggins scored 13 points.

With the Seminoles down by three with less than a minute left in the game, Wiggins posted up Boozer, pushed him into the paint and attempted a fallaway jumper. The ball sank through the net with 37.8 seconds left, cutting the Blue Devils’ lead to one point.

The Blue Devils ran down the clock on their next possession before getting a shot, but Boozer’s 14-foot attempt was blocked by Alex Steen. The Seminoles attacked the court but settled for a 3-pointer from McCray that missed the mark just before the buzzer.

FSU and Duke traded multi-possession leads in the second half. The Seminoles took an eight-point lead midway through the frame after a 12-4 run that McCray capped off with 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 less than eight minutes left in the game. Duke’s surge 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 will face the winner of Clemson and North Carolina.

–Field level media