Robert McCray V electrified the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, as he scored a season high 30 points in Florida State men’s basketball’s 95-89 win over California in the second round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday.
McCray stuffed the stat sheet, adding eight assists, five rebounds, a block, and two steals for a Seminoles (18-14) team that outmatched the No. 9-seeded Cal. The 95 points are the most FSU has scored in the ACC tournament in program history.
“I told them right before the game, if you’re going to be selfish about one thing, you should be selfish about winning games, because I want to be greedy. I don’t want this season to end,” FSU head coach Luke Loucks said postgame. “I just want to keep winning games, and if we play the way we’ve been playing, I think that’s a really good possibility.”
After briefly trailing, 9-2, in the opening minutes of the first half, McCray hit a three-pointer that kick-started a 24-6 run for the Seminoles. FSU did not let up, scoring 46 first-half points, 14 of which were scored by McCray.
Kobe MaGee scored 13 points, and after the team started 0-for-5 from three, MaGee nailed four in the first half as FSU went 7-of-14 from deep.
The Seminoles did not turn the ball over in the first half, and only turned it over six times in the game, while forcing 12 total Cal turnovers. A switch from man defense to a 3-2 zone, which was rotated into man coverage on a possession-to-possession basis, slowed Cal’s offense.
FSU remained in control in the second half, pushing its lead to as much as 22 points. Cal ended the game on a 19-7 run, which cut the lead to as little as six right before the buzzer, the closest the Golden Bears got in the half.
Lajae Jones scored nine second-half points, including a highlight reel poster dunk. Not to be outdone, McCray added a windmill in the open court after a steal to punctuate his performance.
FSU had four players finish in double figures. McCray led all scorers with 30 points, followed by 15 from Jones, and 14 from Chauncey Wiggins alongside 13 from MaGee.
The Seminoles advance to play No. 1 Duke on Thursday, March. 12 at 7 p.m.
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Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Robert McCray V scores 30 as FSU basketball advances in ACC tournament
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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