Coach K returns, No. 9 Duke rolls past Florida State

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Freshman forward Paolo Banchero scored 17 points as No. 9 Duke beat Florida State 88-70 on Saturday night with retiring Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski back after missing the second half of the Blue Devils’ previous game because he wasn’t feeling well.

Reserve forward Joey Baker provided a big lift for Duke, scoring 12 points on four first-half 3-pointers. That included back-to-back shots from each corner during the Blue Devils’ push shortly before halftime that finally stretched out the lead after both teams rarely missed to start.

The Blue Devils (23-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) closed the half on a 12-2 burst to take a 52-41 lead against the injury-depleted Seminoles, then did a better job containing FSU’s drivers as they broke open the game in the second half. Duke finished the game shooting 52%, including 11 of 28 from 3-point range.

The win allowed Duke to avenge last month’s 79-78 overtime road loss to Florida State, as well as push into sole possession of first place in the ACC with Notre Dame’s loss at Wake Forest earlier Saturday.

Freshman guard Matthew Cleveland scored 16 points to lead the Seminoles (14-12, 7-9), who played yet again with a shorthanded roster. They still got off to a strong start by penetrating into the paint and making 16 of 23 shots (69.6%) to offset Duke’s own strong offense in rowdy Cameron Indoor Stadium.

That included a run of seven straight made shots over nearly six minutes of game action, which had FSU down just 40-39 on Wyatt Wilkes’ 3-pointer with 3:53 left.

But Duke answered with a game-changing run, which included Baker’s consecutive 3s. Then came a spectacular transition sequence with Wendell Moore Jr. throwing a roughly halfcourt bounce pass to