Chauncey Wiggins delivered a standout performance, scoring a career-high 23 points—16 of which came in the second half—as Florida State men’s basketball secured an 88-80 victory over Stanford on Saturday, January 31, at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles improved to 10-12 on the season and have now won three of their last four games. This win also puts them at 3-6 in ACC play, rekindling their chances of making the conference tournament.

The victory marks the first time since January 2025 that FSU has won back-to-back ACC games, following wins over Pitt and Georgia Tech. The 88 points scored by the Seminoles are the second-highest total that Stanford has allowed this season, highlighting a strong offensive showing from Florida State.

Head coach Luke Loucks acknowledged the significance of the win, especially against two ACC teams that are closely ranked with the Seminoles. He emphasized the importance of capitalizing on opportunities as the team continues to climb the standings.

“Anytime you have an opportunity to fight in the standings against a team close to you, you have to take advantage of the opportunity,” Loucks said after the game. “Every game is important, every possession is important, but especially as we are sitting at 2-6, black and white, we are not where we want to be. Now we are 3-6, winning two in a row is nice, but that is not where we want to be. I think our guys understand this opportunity in these last nine games. Every single game has huge consequences on where we finish at the end of the year.”

FSU basketball’s offense catches fire

Wiggins was instrumental in the Seminoles’ success, shooting 46% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. He also made seven free throws. This performance marked the 15th time this season that Wiggins has reached double figures in scoring, and the third time he has surpassed 20 points.

He was one of five players who finished in double figures for Florida State. Alex Steen contributed 12 points and four rebounds, while Lajae Jones added 18 points and five rebounds. Robert McCray V had a well-rounded game with 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds, one block, and two steals. Kobe MaGee chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds.

In the first half, Thomas Bassong was tasked with guarding Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, the ACC’s second-leading scorer with 21.5 points per game. Bassong spent the first two minutes of the game shadowing Okorie around the court, showcasing his defensive capabilities.

Okorie did not score in the first half when Bassong was his primary defender, and he only scored three points in the period. He made up for it with 23 second-half points, almost enough to lead Stanford to a comeback win.

FSU basketball turned things around with defense

Jones had a standout first half, scoring 13 points while adding three boards. The Seminoles’ defense struggled early on, allowing a few too many open looks for Stanford, who jumped out to a 22-17 lead with 11:26 left in the half.

A switch from a 2-3 zone to man defense paid dividends for FSU, which outscored Stanford 24-11 following the change. Jones found success driving to the lane, finishing a pair of layups through contact that drew fouls. He was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line and 4-of-7 from the field in the first half.

Both Wiggins and McCray added nine points each to bolster the Seminoles’ scoring efforts in the first half.

Wiggins took over the opening minutes of the second half, scoring eight points to balloon FSU’s lead into double digits, ahead 51-41. MaGee scored seven of FSU’s next 10 points, splashing home a three after Jones zipped a pass to him from under the basket. His best basket of the night came in transition, spinning past a defender and then finishing a reverse layup through contact.

Stanford attempted to shoot their way out of a scoring slump, settling for deep threes as they struggled to break down the FSU defense. The Semioles went ahead by as much as 19 points, but eventually the shots started falling for Stanford, particularly Okorie.

He scored 23 second-half points, attacking the rim heavily and sprinkling in a few step-back threes to keep the Seminoles defense guessing. After trailing by 19, Okorie scored 16 points to claw Stanford back into the game, scoring all but two baskets for the Cardinal in that stretch.

His efforts nearly brought Stanford back into the game, but the Seminoles, thanks to McCray’s five points in the final two minutes, had enough to hold off the Cardinal for an 88-80 win.

“Honestly, it can take us from bottom to top, that’s how I see it,” Wiggins said postgame about the importance of the win. “We got a week off, we don’t play till next Saturday. So we are going to put the work in and try to keep winning all these games we have left. We will see where we end up at the end, but we just want to take it one game at a time.”

What’s next for FSU men’s basketball? A trip to Notre Dame

• When: Saturday, Feb. 7 / 4 p.m.
• Where: Joyce Center / South Bend, Indiana
• Watch: ACC Network

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Chauncey Wiggins scores career high, leads FSU basketball past Stanford