CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Ian Miller said he hadn’t made a buzzer-beater to win a game since high school.
When he shot from the right wing in the final second Thursday night, he didn’t need to look.
“When it left my hand, I knew it was good,” the sophomore said about the 3-pointer with a hand in his face and 0.8 seconds left that gave No. 22 Florida State a stunning 63-60 victory over Virginia (No. 24 AP).
The Seminoles rallied from 11 points down in the last 4½ minutes for the victory.
Miller matched his career high with 18 points, and had 15 after halftime. On the final play, he dribbled time off the clock until darting from near midcourt on the left side to the right wing with Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski just far enough behind to allow Miller to set, step back and let fly.
“He smacked my left hand and everything, but I was locked in,” Miller said after making five of six shots in the second half and scoring nine in a game-ending 16-2 burst. “By then it was too late.”
It was Miller’s fifth 3-pointer and the seventh for the Seminoles (20-9, 11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their seventh straight in the series and spoiled senior night for Mike Scott
Scott scored 28 points, his career high in an ACC game, for the Cavaliers (21-8, 8-7), who lost for the first time in 18 games this season when scoring 60 points. Jontel Evans added 10 points for Virginia, which played with only seven scholarship players available to coach Tony Bennett.
Michael Snaer and Xavier Gibson added 12 points each for the Seminoles, and Snaer said a turning point that looked like it might help Virginia mightily wound up driving Florida State’s rally.
