TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- After losing back-to-back road Atlantic Coast Conference games at Maryland and N.C. State, Duke hoped to make a statement in its next such test against Florida State.
But Saturday evening at the Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center, the Seminoles (11-8, 2-6 in the ACC) made a statement of their own and Tomahawk-chopped No. 5 Duke down to size with a 75-70 victory.
Led by junior college transfer Tim Pickett's 15 points and nine rebounds, the Seminoles were able to down the Blue Devils (14-3, 4-3) on their home court for the second consecutive year while recording only their second conference victory this season.
"I thought the main thing tonight was that our guys stayed focused, stayed positive and play with a lot of confidence tonight," Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said. "That's something that's been missing for my team."
Despite taking 22 more field-goal attempts than Florida State, Duke was unable to convert on its extra opportunities. The Blue Devils shot less than 35 percent from the field, while the Seminoles went 30-of-50 from the floor.
Freshman guard J.J. Redick scored a game-high 16 points, but did so on a 5-of-18 shooting performance, including 4-of-13 from behind the arc. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Redick's performance was similar to that of the other Duke players.
"We missed shots that we've hit a lot of times," Krzyzewski said. "It's not like these were wild and crazy shots. A lot of them were right on."
Despite their struggles, however, the Blue Devils remained in the game. After a Daniel Ewing three-pointer cut the score to 71-70 with 10.3 seconds remaining, the Blue Devils sent Pickett to the free throw line, where he calmly converted both of his attempts.
But after a Florida State timeout, Duke point guard Chris Duhon began to race down the right sideline before slipping and watching the ball go out of bounds with six seconds remaining. An Adam Waleskowski dunk sealed Duke's defeat and left Duhon to think about the game's final seconds.
"We needed a three," Duhon said. "I was just trying to push it up fast and exchange the ball with Daniel [Ewing] to where he could get a shot or penetrate and kick it to the other side to J.J. [Redick]. I just slipped and [the ball] went out of bounds."
Duhon's struggles were not limited to the game's final play; the Blue Devil captain went 2-of-7 from the floor while committing three turnovers. Fellow veteran Dahntay Jones, who entered the game averaging 17.6 points per game, also had trouble finding the basket, going 1-of-10 from the field for only two points.
"I've got to do more than just shoot the ball," Jones said. "I've got to have more of an impact on the game than just shooting."
While the Blue Devils had only two players--Lee Melchionni and Nick Horvath--shoot 50 percent or better for the game, the Seminoles received such a performance from each player in their starting lineup, including Raleigh native Anthony Richardson, whose 14-point performance included a jumper that gave Florida State a 48-37 advantage, its largest lead of the game.
For the Seminoles, though, the key to the game was Pickett, who was playing against a top-10 Division I team for the first time in his career.
"It was a good statement," he said. "It's an adjustment to come from junior college to this. It's a totally different level."
If Pickett or his teammates had any nerves entering the game, they quickly put them at ease. The Seminoles went 19-of-28 from the floor in the first half en route to a 41-35 halftime lead.
"Our defense could not stop their offense in the first half," Krzyzewski said. "They shot almost 70 percent. We played harder and much better defensively in the second half and put ourselves in a position where we had a chance to win the ball game. But the effort that they had throughout--they were not going to be denied."
The Blue Devils also found themselves shorthanded Sunday. Already without the services of center Michael Thompson, who was out with an injured left ankle, Duke also lost power forward Shavlik Randolph early in the game, as Randolph began suffering from a stomach flu, according to Duke Sports Information director Jon Jackson.
Picking up the slack was freshman Melchionni, who scored a career-high eight points in just seven minutes of action, including two three-pointers.
"Lee's been practicing well," Krzyzewski said. "Lee gave us a big boost. He is really., really good."
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