FSU Basketball loses third straight, falls at home against No. 9 Duke

At the tip, it seemed like the Duke Blue Devils would emerge victorious from the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Florida State Seminoles made it more difficult than it could have been but couldn't change the result.

The Seminoles started the game well on the offensive end and played some solid defense; Duke just had a better offense. This theme would continue through the cloudy and groggy Tallahassee afternoon.

Florida State was frequently frustrated in the game as they looked to be able to keep pace with Duke's fast-paced offense but would go cold for long stretches.

One such stretch, early in the first half, Duke was able to capitalize and score 11 points in a row. This run would establish a seven-point lead that the Blue Devils would maintain for the rest of the contest.

That lead would fluctuate from time to time. Duke had a 10-point advantage at halftime 44-34, but the Seminoles were able to slow the game down and forced the Blue Devils to use the entire shot clock to score.

Florida State would respond and cut the lead to five at times, but frequent turnovers and a lack of cutting edge would stymie any legitimate comeback attempt.

The Blue Devils were able to use a phenomenal performance from Freshman guard Jared McCain (0), who led all scoring with 35 points, tying a Duke Freshman scoring record. Jeremy Roach (3) was the other Blue Devil in double figures as he added 16 points of his own.

Kyle Flipowski (30) was relatively quiet as he only had eight points and rebounds at the final buzzer.

The Seminoles were, once again, led by Jahmir Watkins (2) with 15 points. Cam Corhen (3) also scored in double figures with 14 points of his own. Three other Seminoles contributed eight points, while Primo Spears (23) scored seven points.

Spears did not play in the second half. Watkins was restricted for most of the first half as he had two early fouls and sat the rest of the period. Some unlucky whistles and bounces, along with poor discipline led to the nine-point gap at the final buzzer. The Blue Devils won 76-67.

Between all of the rim outs on three-pointers and passes gone askew, it was a technical foul from Darin Green Jr. (22) that would stop the surging Seminoles from really coming back. Duke made both free throw shots and scored a three-pointer in response. It was never as close after that.

The Blue Devils shot 46 percent from the floor but 62 percent from three-point range. Shooting 70 percent from the free throw line, Duke left the game ajar for Florida State down the stretch.

However, the Seminoles shot only 28 percent from three and 63 percent from the free-throw line and couldn't get points in clutch situations. They finished shooting 49 percent from the field but were outrebounded 36-27.

Both teams suffered numerous turnovers. Duke had 17, and FSU had 14.

With another loss by Wake Forest today, the Seminoles were gifted another chance to make up ground in the ACC but fell short. It seems that Florida State can not get out of their own way down the stretch.

All stats compiled from ESPN.com.