Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Hoops Falls to ACC Rival Florida State
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
January 15, 1999
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State sophomore Brooke Wyckoff scored a career-high 21 points as all five starters tallied double figures as the Seminoles defeated Wake Forest 80-57 to earn their first Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the season. With the victory, FSU improves to 6-9 overall and 1-5 in the ACC while Wake Forest falls to 6-10 on the season and 2-4 in league play.
The Seminoles trailed only twice in the game and it was early. After FSU led 6-2 to open up the game, Wake Forest went on a 5-0 run to take the 7-6 advantage. The Demon Deacons would lead only once more at 11-10 with 13:56 to play, but Florida State wouldn't have it and ran off the next 10 straight points to take a 20-11 lead with just under 11 to go. The Deacons got as close as five points but went into the lockerroom trailing by double digits at 37-27.
Wake Forest cut the FSU lead to single digits in the first minute of the second half at 37-29, but then it was all Florida State. The Tribe ran off eight straight to pull ahead by its largest margin of the night at 16 and ran away with the game. The Deacons pulled to within 11, but could get no closer as FSU won by 23, its largest margin of the evening.
"This team looked adversity in the face and continued to work hard," FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau said. "They performed very well tonight in many, many categories against a Wake Forest team that is much improved. We played a very balanced game with five players in double figures and three with double-doubles. I was proud that we became a second-half team tonight. We needed that very much."
Wyckoff's added a game-high 13 rebounds to her 21 points for her sixth double-double of the season. Also scoring in double figures were freshman April Traylor with 16, seniors Arleshia Davidson and Jen Robinson with 15 points apiece and senior Tamara Gracey with 11. Davidson and Gracey added 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively, to their totals.
"It was a team-win and a solid, convincing win and it feels great," Wyckoff said. "We knew we could do it and it was time to show that. It's just good to get that all-around good win."
Wake Forest had no players score in double figures, but Brenda Kirkpatrick led the way with 10 rebounds. FSU held Wake Forest to 31 percent shooting for the game while the Seminoles went 54 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes to shoot 46 percent for the game.
Florida State will travel to Maryland for a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday, January 17th. The game will be aired live on WNLS Sportsradio 1270 AM.
