Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Top Florida State at Home
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
February 20, 1999
By JOE MACENKA
AP Sports Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Broderick Hicks scored 12 of his 15 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes as Wake Forest rallied from a 19-point deficit for a 67-65 victory over slumping Florida State on Saturday.
Darius Songaila added 19 points, including eight in the last 6:13, as the Demon Deacons (15-11, 6-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for the fourth time in six games. Wake Forest also got 13 points from Robert O'Kelley, whose two free throws with 17 seconds remaining put the Demon Deacons ahead to stay.
The victory wasn't assured until an attempted reverse layup by Florida State's Ron Hale rolled away from the rim just before time expired.
Florida State (12-14, 5-9) saw the longest conference losing skid in its eight years of ACC membership stretch to seven games. The Seminoles, who have lost five in a row overall, got 20 points from Hale, 17 from Adrian Crawford and 10 from Delvon Arrington.
Florida State built a 57-38 lead with 8:09 remaining before making just three field goals the rest of the way. The result was the Seminoles' sixth consecutive loss at Lawrence Joel Coliseum dating to 1993.
After Arrington missed a jumper with 30 seconds left and the Seminoles up 64-63, Wake Forest got the rebound and O'Kelley was fouled. He made both free throws, giving Wake Forest its first lead since 4-3.
Arrington missed another jumper, and Wake Forest got the rebound again. This time, the Seminoles sent Hicks to the line with five seconds left, and he made both.
Wake Forest elected against letting Florida State attempt a potential tying 3-pointer, opting instead to send Arrington to the foul line for a 1-and-1 with 3.5 seconds to go. He made the first and missed the second, but Hale got the rebound. He put up a twisting layup from underneath the backboard, but the ball rattled around the rim before falling away, and Florida State was unable to get off another shot before time expired.
Hale, the Seminoles' best scoring threat, was limited to three shots in the first half but quickly reversed that trend in the second. He scored nine points as Florida State opened the half with a 15-6 run, helping the Seminoles build a double-digit lead.
