Florida State opened ACC play on the right foot early Wednesday evening as the 20th-ranked Seminoles closed the game on a 27-6 run to pull away from Wake Forest at the Donald L. Tucker Center, 88-72.
With just over eight minutes to play in the game, the Demon Deacons (9-4, 0-1 ACC) held a small lead over FSU, but from there on, it was domination. After Dwayne Bacon tied the game for FSU on a driving layup, Jonathan Isaac put the Seminoles ahead for good on a 3-pointer with seven and a half minutes remaining.
At one point during the run, FSU (13-1, 1-0 ACC) scored 17 straight points to go up by 12. A bucket by Wake’s Keyshawn Woods finally ended the Seminoles’ streak of unanswered points.
Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes each scored 23 points to lead FSU. Rathan-Mayes surpassed the 1,000-point total for his career, making he and his dad, Tharon, the only father-son combination in FSU history to each score 1,000 points.
Rathan-Mayes added seven rebounds and three steals in the victory. C.J. Walker added 13 points off the bench in relief of Rathan-Mayes. Isaac finished with 12 points, a team-high nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Wake Forest used the 3-point shot to take the lead early and maintain it for the early parts of the second half. The Demon Deacons scored the game’s first seven points before taking a narrow 40-39 lead to the locker room.
For the game, Wake shot 43 percent from the field, but 10-for-21 from deep. Woods and Bryant Crawford each scored 16 points to lead the Demon Deacons while Austin Arians added 11. Mitchell Wilbekin shot 3-for-5 from downtown to chip in with 10 points off the bench.
Entering the game, Wake Forest forward John Collins was averaging a double-double and had scored at least 10 points in every game. Thanks largely to foul trouble, Collins was held to just two points and three rebounds in 18 minutes.
FSU held a 35-31 edge on the glass and shot 51 percent from the field in the win. Five different FSU players had at least two steals.
For the first time since the 2012-13, FSU is 1-0 in ACC play. Things get tougher as the Seminoles travel to Charlottesville to face No. 12 Virginia on Saturday. Wake Forest heads home to host Clemson — also on Saturday.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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