MANILA, Philippines—When Florida State University were down big against Atlantic Coast Conference power University of Miami, everyone thought they’d whittle away and lose.
Then Xavier Rathan-Mayes happened.
Actually 30 points in the last 4:39 happened, but they still lost 81-77 against the 8th seeded Hurricanes.
Nevermind the loss, 30 points in less than five minutes is a thing of beauty considering that the 11th seeded Seminoles were down 18 points in the second half.
What’s even more remarkable is that Rathan-Mayes scored 26 straight points, knocked down 8-of-10 from the field, 6-of-8 from deep, and drained eight charity shots.
“One of the greatest shooting performances I have ever seen,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga told CBS Sports.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, Rathan-Mayes scored or assisted in the team’s final 38 points, which means that he actually had a hand in every second half basket that the Seminoles made.
Rathan-Mayes’ torrid shooting pulled FSU to within three with 21 seconds remaining but the Hurricanes got the job done offensively in the final seconds, thanks to a 7-of-8 free throw shooting in the final 30 seconds.
Overall, the first year Seminole finished with 35 points, shot 10-of-19 from the field and was 6-of-11 from deep to go along with a team-high give assists and four rebounds.