Duke Blue Devils dominate Florida State in free-throw fest, 100-65

Florida State traveled to Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday with Leonard Hamilton looking to pick up one last signature win in his legendary career. He only has a few games remaining in his legendary career and would love to pick one up here. But Duke is arguably the best team in the country and has been steamrolling through the ACC this season, entering the game at 25-3 and 16-1 in ACC play. This would be no easy task for the Seminoles, even if Duke played without third-leading scorer Tyrese Proctor.

Duke got out to an early 14-4 lead, taking advantage of the home crowd as Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach made their presences felt early. Florida State stormed back to get within two, 16-14, and Cooper Flagg left the game after being poked in the eye, similar to what happened to Zion Williamson against FSU in 2019. Could the tides have turned for the Seminoles, even with Alier Maluk dealing with foul trouble?

Uh, no. Duke's offense exploded as FSU's stalled out. An 11-0 run put Duke back in front by double digits, then they'd build to lead to 22 before halftime. FSU could get zero penetration on offense, as Duke's defense forced them to operate well beyond the three-point line. And at halftime, with Cooper Flagg only playing seven minutes, Duke had a 47-30 lead.

Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after scoring during the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Florida State cut the lead to 12 in the opening minutes of the second half, but that would be as close as they would get again. Then Duke went on a 15-0 run to go up 27, highlighted by Cooper Flagg (who returned to action) finding Khaman Maluach for a lob, blocking a layup attempt by Christian Nitu, and then Kon Knueppel converting an and-one. That was as loud as Cameron Indoor got all night.

Both teams were in the bonus less than six minutes into the half, giving both teams a lot of free-throw opportunities. That helped FSU find a little offense, but it also kept Duke at a distance. There wouldn't be much drama the rest of the way, but there would be a few highlight plays... for the Blue Devils. Duke would go on to win 100-65.

All things considered, this could've been much worse for FSU. Duke shot just 8/30 from three and 32/73 overall, but they came down with 21 offensive rebounds and went 28/34 at the free-throw line. Those were the two big differences in this game.

Jamir Watkins led all scorers with 21 points, but he shot 8/18 from the floor. Jerry Deng with 12 was the only other Seminole in double figures.

Duke had four in double figures, led by Isaiah Evans with 19, followed by Cooper Flagg (16 points), Khaman Maluach (14 points, 14 rebounds), and Kon Knueppel (14 points).

Florida State will travel to play Virginia on Tuesday.

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