The Florida State men’s basketball team has been searching for its elusive first conference win of the season. And on Saturday a late, seven-point lead slipped away.
While the Seminoles fought hard all game, and it looked like they were en route to a victory, the Deacons wouldn’t go away down the stretch. They capitalized on FSU’s turnovers and rallied in the final four minutes to take a 69-68 win.
Luke Loucks will have to wait for his first ACC win as FSU’s coach as the Seminoles drop to 0-5 in league play.
“Our defense and rebounding fell apart down the stretch,” Loucks said. "We put them on the foul line on some calls that were probably 50/50 calls. That’s part of basketball, we didn’t get the boards when we needed them, and they scored on us down the stretch.”
The game started out in favor of Florida State, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead off of a Thomas Bassong layup and a Martin Somerville 3-pointer. Sommerville would go on to finish with nine points and five rebounds.
A barrage of 3-pointers would come as both teams shot the ball at a frenetic pace and, as the first media timeout commenced, the Seminoles were up 16-14 with 11 minutes, 46 seconds left in the first half. As the barrage of 3-pointers would continue for FSU, so would the turnovers. Coming out of the first media timeout, the ’Noles quickly gave it away to Wake Forest.
Turning the ball over coming out of a timeout is still a sign that this team is undisciplined and inconsistent. Good teams don’t turn the ball over at these particular times in the game. It may seem like nothing, but the ending told the entire story.
Both teams would trade baskets until the end of the half, with the Seminoles clinging to a 34-31 lead.
Bassong continued his stellar play by opening the second half with a 3-pointer. The talented freshman got the start on the day and finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two turnovers.
The light is beginning to flicker in the development that is Bassong’s game. His long arms, athleticism and his length in the lane gave Wake Forest trouble at times, especially when trying to defend Bassong straight up one-on-one.
As the game pressed on and began to get dicey down the stretch, Florida State went scoreless for two minutes. That changed when senior forward Chauncey Wiggins stepped to the line for two free throws. The Seminoles were clinging to a 64-61 lead with 2:22 left in the game. Wiggins drilled both free throws to extend the lead. Wiggins finished with 15 points, three rebounds and two assists on the day.
The crowd came alive at the Tucker Center and FSU seemed to have seized momentum. The Deacons thought otherwise.
“They found a way to finish the game,” Loucks said. “They found a way when it mattered, when the game was a one or two possession game to rebound with a level of urgency, to make their free throws and to finish down the stretch and to me, that’s what lost us the game.”
The ’Noles had their chances to win this game but gave it away during a crucial point with 24 seconds left. With the Seminoles up 68-67, senior guard Robert McCray V raced down the court and saw a streaking Lajae Jones along the sideline. McCray’s attempted pass sailed over Jones’ head and out of bounds, giving the Demon Deacons the ball with 18 seconds left.
On the last possession, senior Wake Forest guard Nate Calmese pulled the hearts out of every Florida State fan in attendance at the Tucker Center when he hit the last shot to put the Deacons up 69-68 with four seconds left.
McCray V had 11 turnovers on the day, but did contribute 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.
“I know he’s beating himself up right now,” Loucks said. "It’s tough to win a game when your point guard turns it over that much.”
Up next
The Seminoles (7-11) must now hit the road and travel south to Coral Gables to take on bitter rival Miami (15-3) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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