No. 14 Florida State surges past Wake Forest 65-57

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — No. 14 Florida State reeled off 18 straight points in the second half Saturday to rally past Wake Forest 65-57 in an Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season finale.

The Seminoles, who won for the 12th time in 13 games, trailed for all but a few seconds of the first 30 minutes before their surge.

Trent Forrest scored 11 points and Christ Kournadje grabbed 10 rebounds for the Seminoles (25-6, 13-5 ACC), who finished fourth in the conference.

Brandon Childress scored 13 to lead the Demon Deacons (11-19, 4-14), who squandered a double-digit lead at home against a ranked team for the second straight game. Chaundee Brown scored all 11 of his points in the first half for the Deacons, who shot only 26 percent from the field.

The Seminoles recovered from a cold-shooting first half to shoot 54 percent in the second half. The Deacons went scoreless for 5:50 during the Seminoles’ 18-point run.

PJ Savoy’s 3-pointer with 9:28 left pulled FSU into a tie at 45 — the first time the Seminoles hadn’t trailed since Wake Forest scored the opening basket. Forrest’s basket with 7:28 left after Wake Forest turnover gave FSU its first lead — one it didn’t relinquish.

Foul shooting made a big difference in the opening half. The Deacons were 16 of 16 from the line while the Seminoles made only 4 of 9. Both teams shot poorly from the floor — Wake 28 percent and FSU 32 percent. The Deacons were only 6 of 13 from the line in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Florida State: The Seminoles capped their first 25-game regular season and maintained their momentum heading into the ACC Tournament. Hamilton’s team will be able to rest in wait for the winner of the No. 5 vs. No. 12 first-round game in Charlotte.

Wake Forest: The Deacons gave a strong performance for 30 minutes against a ranked team — they blew a big lead earlier in the week in a one-point loss to Duke — for the second straight home game. They’ll need to continue their improved play in Charlotte to extend their season.

SENIOR NIGHT

Wake Forest senior Anthony Bilas, a seldom-used reserve was in the starting lineup for the first time in his last home game. Bilas’ father, Jay, a college basketball analyst for ESPN, was in attendance before going to Chapel Hill for the broadcast of the Duke-North Carolina game. Bilas re-entered the game in the final seconds and made an open 3-pointer for the game’s final points.

UP NEXT

Florida State: March 14 in ACC Tournament.

Wake Forest: March 12 in ACC Tournament.