March 11, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Robert McCray V. (6) scores in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Robert McCray V had 30 points and eight assists to lead eighth-seeded Florida State to a 95-89 win over ninth-seeded Cal in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Lajae Jones had 15 points and Chauncey Wiggins added 14 for the red-hot Seminoles (18-14), who have won 10 of their last 12 under first-year coach Luke Loucks.
Kobe MaGee came off the bench to score all 13 of his points in the first half as Florida State advanced to a quarterfinal against top seed Duke on Thursday in Charlotte.
After falling behind early, the Seminoles outscored the Golden Bears in the first half, shooting 57.4 percent overall and 13 of 28 marksmanship (46.4 percent) from beyond the arc to take the lead the rest of the way.
McCray led an efficient offense, making 10 of 17 shots, recording 10 assists and 0 turnovers in the first half.
Dai Dai Ames scored 27 points to keep up with Cal (21-11), which appears to have dashed its hopes of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Bears are among the “out next four” in ESPN’s bracket predictions to begin the week.
Chris Bell had 17 points, Justin Pippen had 15, John Camden had 11 and Lee Dort added seven points and 18 rebounds for Cal, which shot 51% from the field and 41% from 3-point range.
The Golden Bears are off to a strong start. Camden’s 3-pointer made it 9-2. But McCray answered with a 3 and the Seminoles continued their run. With Florida State’s mixed zone defense and man-to-man pressure, Cal had a hard time adjusting and had little quality.
The Seminoles dominated the Golden Bears with a 21-2 outburst, ignited by MaGee’s 3-pointer.
The score turned a six-point deficit into a 13-point lead and came in a 10-minute span when the Golden Bears made just 1 of 11 shots from the floor.
Also during the streak, MaGee hit two more triples, the tenacious McCray scored three jumpers over defenders and Alex Steen added six points.
McCray’s floater put the game away just 11 minutes into the game and gave Florida State a 28-15 lead.
Later in the period, Ames hit back-to-back 3-pointers, but the Seminoles responded with 3-pointers from McCray and Jones in the final 1:47 of the half and Florida State went into the locker room with a 46-32 lead.
Midway through the second half, McCray put his proper stamp on the game when he got a steal and threw down a breakaway tomahawk dunk in front of the bench.
Cal never took a serious run after that, cutting the deficit to single digits in the final minute.
–Field level media
