Xavier Rathan-Mayes Scores 30 Points in Last 4:39 of FSU's Loss to Miami

Florida State couldn't get past Miami Wednesday, allowing 52 second-half points in an 81-77 loss to the Hurricanes. That said, the Seminoles weren't without a historic effort.

Guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 30 points in the final 4:39 of regulation, nearly single-handedly leading a torrid comeback from 18 points down. Rathan-Mayes scored all but three points in Florida State's comeback bid, including a stretch of 26 straight. He knocked down eight of 10 shots, highlighted by a 6-of-8 mark from beyond the arc, and he drained eight shots at the charity stripe.

"One of the greatest shooting performances I have ever seen," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said, per Chip Patterson of CBS Sports.

The freshman's torrid run pulled the Seminoles within a three-point deficit with 21 seconds remaining, but Miami got the job done offensively. The Hurricanes hit seven of their eight free throws in the final 30 seconds as part of a sterling 31-of-38 performance overall.

Angel Rodriguez led the way for Miami with 25 points. Rodriguez also made a key defensive play, intentionally fouling Rathan-Mayes as he was setting up a possession for a potentially game-tying three-pointer. The junior was one of four Miami starters in double figures. The Hurricanes shot 47.9 percent overall from the field and bullied Florida State to a 37-23 advantage on the boards. 

That said, few will walk away from Wednesday night talking about anything but Rathan-Mayes' sterling last-ditch effort. The 6'4" Ontario native has carved a niche as Florida State's most streaky and explosive scorer. His 35 total points matched a career high set in the Seminoles' January loss to North Carolina. That contest also saw him take over for long stretches as a one-man offensive band. 

Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports talked about how the game represented the guard's coming-out party:

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Rathan-Mayes' scoring barrage represents the culmination of a season in which he has begun to carve his own legacy after spending the previous couple years in the shadow of one of his closest friends.

Last June's No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins was a longtime teammate of Rathan-Mayes both on the grassroots circuit and at Huntington Prep in West Virginia. Rathan-Mayes was so stuck in the sidekick role that when he announced he was committing to Florida State in Oct. 2012, most of the discussion that followed focused on whether his presence gave Florida State legit hope of landing Wiggins too.

Wiggins ultimately spent his lone year in college at Kansas, but Rathan-Mayes has turned out to be far more than just a consolation prize.

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Overall, Rathan-Mayes shot 10-of-19 from the field and was 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. He added a team-high five assists and four rebounds. 

Rathan-Mayes is averaging 14.4 points per game on the year, so don't be surprised to see the freshman turn this game into the start of a hot streak going forward, although it's unlikely that he'll explode in such a prodigious way in so short a span again.

As for the Seminoles, the loss dropped them to 11th in the ACC and 7-9 in conference play, so they could use all of the help from Rathan-Mayes that they can get. 

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