Jared McCain reaches Zion Williamson territory for this 1 Duke record as freshman

Freshman guard Jared McCain has joined Zion Williamson in the Duke University record books after he scored 35 points in the Blue Devils' 76-67 victory over Florida State on Saturday night.

McCain, who also set a Duke freshman record with eight 3-pointers, shot 12-for-20 from the field and recorded his seventh game scoring 20 or more points. His point tally tied Williamson's performance against Syracuse for most points (35) as a freshman on January 14, 2019.

The 6-foot-3 player from Sacramento, California, filled in for injured starting guard Tyrese Proctor (concussion symptoms). McCain also proved in this game that he is a "road warrior" by silencing the raucous Florida State crowd, who booed him every time he touched the ball.

“I love playing against away crowds. It’s always fun, even if they’re saying some stuff they probably shouldn’t be saying racially. Anyways, but yeah, it’s always fun playing to away crowds, getting the crowd going. Whenever they’re booing you know you’re doing something right. So it’s exciting,” McCain said.

Jared McCain #0 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots over Sean Pedulla #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half during a game at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Jared McCain set a Duke freshman record in 3-pointers made in one game

McCain's eight 3-pointers surpassed Cam Reddish in 3-points made by a freshman in one game. In 2018, Reddish drilled seven triples in the Blue Devils' game against the Army.

The 6-foot-3 guard waxed hot early, burying four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes.

He added three more triples before halftime, which included a step-back trifecta with two seconds remaining. That gave Duke a 44-34 lead.

McCain set the team mark with 9:38 remaining in the second half as he drilled his eighth triple and gave Duke a 60-49 edge.

The shot that the 19-year-old cager made capped his five-point binge that handed the Blue Devils another double-digit lead moments after the Seminoles reduced it to six, 49-55.

Post-game, head coach Jon Scheyer said that McCain's five straight points when Florida State was rallying saved the team from a possible defeat.

“Not only did he have 35, but it was in (a) critical moment. At the beginning of the game, I didn’t think we came out with the right defensive mentality at first. He steadied us with a scoring.

Then to close the half, he had a couple of big threes as well. Then that moment in the second half, two free throws and that 3. That was a critical moment," Scheyer said.

Duke won its fourth game in a row, bringing its record to 20-5 (11-3 in the ACC). On the other side, Florida State suffered its 12th loss in 25 games, including a 7-7 record in the ACC.