Robert McCray V shines as FSU basketball stuns Miami for first ACC win

Robert McCray V nailed a pair of free throws with just over a second left to help Florida State men’s basketball stun Miami 65- 63 on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables.

With the game tied at 63, McCray received the ball with 18 seconds left, and he drove to the left side of the court. After a series of screens, he drove to the lane from the top of the key, and as he pulled up for a floater, Miami’s Malik Reneau fouled McCray and sent him to the line to win the game.

The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Seminoles (8-11, 1-5 ACC), and it’s the first win against a Power 4 and ACC opponent for Luke Loucks and his team this season. The win is also FSU’s first win away from home this year.

McCray, who bounced back from an 11-turnover game against Wake Forest, scored 11 of his 20 points in the second half. He shot 41 from the field, and he added three blocks alongside his four assists and four rebounds.

As a team, FSU shot 45 from the field, and only took 17 three’s, opting to attack the paint more than settle for shots behind the arc.

It was a stylistic change that paid off, as it allowed the Seminoles to generate quality looks from deep, as Miami’s defense began to crash the paint, leaving shooters open on the perimeter, which led to a chunk of the six made three’s from FSU.

Both the Seminoles and Hurricanes exchanged buckets in the opening minutes of the game, with a Tre Donaldson three at the 13:33 mark tying the game at 13. Donaldson gave Miami the lead with a mid-range jumper on the next possession, and Miami remained ahead of FSU until the final seconds of the half.

FSU never trailed by more than six, however, it struggled to snatch the lead back from the Hurricanes until the final possession of the half.

After a missed free throw from Miami, the Seminoles took a timeout and drew up a play for Kobe MaGee, who received the ball off a screen and pulled up a contested three that beat the buzzer and gave FSU a 38-37 lead at the break.

The three was only FSU’s third of the half, and they shot 52% from the field, primarily driving inside with 24 paint points. McCray led the Seminoles with nine points at the break, and he added three assists and only turned the ball over twice, an improvement on his six first-half turnovers against Wake Forest.

In the second half, McCray and Chauncey Wiggins took over for the Seminoles, scoring a combined 19 points. FSU took the lead from Miami on a three-pointer from Wiggins at the 16:24 mark, and they wouldn’t relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.

Either McCray or Wiggins made all but two shots for the Seminoles in the second half, with a Martin Somerville three and Thomas Bassong layup the only buckets not from the duo.

With 1:45 left in the game, FSU led 63-60, and Miami cut the lead to one on a Reneau layup. On the following possessions, McCray missed a three-pointer, which allowed Reneua to tie the game at 63 after he hit one of two free throws with 21 seconds left.

After a deflected pass in bounds, FSU reset and got the ball in McCray’s hands. He drew the foul from Reneau and nailed both his free throws to ice the game for the Seminoles.

Wiggins finished with 10 points, while Bassong added eight points, six rebounds, and six assists, alongside a block and two steals. Somerville notched nine points and added four steals.