Duke 79, Florida State 60
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Torrid shooting propelled No. 5 Duke to an easy victory at Florida State.
And another sloppy performance and lackluster effort by FSU's veterans ensured that the Seminoles could never even make it close.
The Blue Devils put on an offensive showcase Saturday, shooting 60.8 percent from the field in a dominating 79-60 victory over Florida State at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Seth Curry scored a game-high 21 points and Quinn Cook added 18 for the Blue Devils, who led by as much as 26 in the first half and went into the break with a 20-point lead.
With Duke having looked fallible in recent weeks and the Seminoles riding high after a last-second win over Maryland last week, the Blue Devils appeared to perhaps be ripe for another upset.
Instead, the Blue Devils (19-2, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) attacked FSU's defense from the opening tip, scoring the game's first 11 points on the heels of a five quick points and an assist from Cook. Duke led 18-2 less than six minutes into the game and effectively silenced Florida State's sell-out crowd.
The Blue Devils' 79 points were the most allowed by FSU since March 11, 2012.
Curry finished 7 of 11 from the field and 5 of 7 (71.4 percent) from beyond the arc, well above his season average of 41.4 percent from 3-point range.
The Blue Devils connected for 11 3-pointers, seven of which came in the second half.
And as Duke kept cruising, Florida State (12-9, 4-4) once again struggled to find its offensive rhythm. FSU missed its first five shots and was held scoreless until Montay Brandon's jumper at the 16:05 mark.
Senior guard Michael Snaer, whose last-second heroics lifted FSU to narrow victories in each of its last two home games, was held scoreless in the first half and finished the game with just seven points.
FSU made just 21 of its 52 attempts from the field and was just 3 of 13 (23.1 percent) from 3-point range.
Freshman guard Aaron Thomas had his best offensive output in more than a month with a team-high 14 points.
Notes: Duke's 42 points at halftime were the most that Florida State has allowed in the first half this season. ... Saturday also marked the seventh consecutive game that the Seminoles have trailed at halftime. ... FSU's bench outscored its starters 17-5 in the first half. The Seminoles' veteran trio of Michael Snaer, Okaro White and Ian Miller combined for just one point in the first 20 minutes.
