Florida State desperately needed a spark from Rathan-Mayes after falling behind by 18 points on the road against a Miami team determined to play its way into the NCAA tournament. Whatever slim chance the defensive-oriented Seminoles had of mounting a comeback depended on their leading scorer emerging from a game-long slump and shooting them back into striking distance.

Inspired by his teammate’s words, Rathan-Mayes unleashed a late-game shooting display that will linger in the memory of those who witnessed it long after they’ve forgotten that Florida State still lost 81-77 in spite of his heroics. The 6-foot-4 guard scored 30 points in the final 4:38 of Wednesday’s game, a stunningly swift barrage that included six 3-pointers, a pair of layups and eight free throws.

“In high school I scored 55 in a game, but that was throughout the course of the game,” Rathan-Mayes said. “To score how I was doing it today, I’ve never done that before. The only thing I’ve seen like that was when I was watching the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson scored 37 in one quarter.”

Though he had to sit out all of last season due to academic issues, Rathan-Mayes averages 13.6 points and has eclipsed double figures in 14 of his last 17 games. The former Rivals 150 recruit also leads Florida State in assists at 4.4 per game and steals at 1.1 per game.

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