No. 6 Duke Blue Devils secured a 91-87 victory over Florida State Seminoles in a tight ACC matchup on January 3, 2026. Sophomore guard Isaiah Evans led the way with a career-high 28 points, including six three-pointers. The game, played at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, saw Duke improve to 13-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
The game tipped off at 3:45 p.m. ET, with Florida State starting hot from beyond the arc, going 5-of-6 from three-point range to build an early lead. Duke trailed for much of the first half but tied the score twice late, entering halftime knotted at 42-42. Florida State shot 56% from the field and 47% from three in the opening period, while Duke connected on 52% of field goals and 43% of threes.
The second half remained competitive, with Duke taking its first lead on an Isaiah Evans three-pointer. Florida State responded, but a 12-2 Duke run midway through, capped by Dame Sarr's basket, gave the Blue Devils their largest lead of 74-65. Evans continued to shine, adding 11 second-half points, including three threes, to reach 21 before late free throws sealed his career night.
Florida State closed the gap to 87-85 on Kobe MaGee's three with 23 seconds left, but Evans sank two free throws to make it 89-85. MaGee's final contested three missed, allowing Duke to rebound and win. Cameron Boozer contributed 17 points, nine assists (a season-high), and four steals for Duke. Caleb Foster and Dame Sarr each scored 13, while Patrick Ngongba II added 10.
For Florida State, Chauncey Wiggins and Robert McCray V each tallied 22 points, with MaGee finishing at 17. The Seminoles shot 53% from the field and 47% from three but fell to 7-8 overall and 0-2 in the ACC. Duke's free-throw accuracy proved crucial, going 23-of-25 (92%), their best of the season. Despite a height advantage, Duke edged rebounds 31-24.
Duke next visits No. 16 Louisville on January 6, while Florida State hosts N.C. State on January 10.
