TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Wake Forest mens’ basketball team defeated Florida State 68-60 on Saturday afternoon for their first victory in the Donald L. Tucker Center since the 2007-08 season.
With the victory, the Demon Deacons (19-5, 9-4 ACC) head home with their first series sweep against Florida State since the 2007-08 season as well as the team’s first ACC series sweep since the 2016-17 campaign after the Demon Deacons defeated the Seminoles 76-54 on Jan. 4 inside LJVM.
Additionally, Wake Forest has now won six of their past seven contests and have reached 19 total wins and nine ACC wins for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Wake Forest shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field and put together another strong showing on the defensive side of the court, holding Florida State to just 32.8 percent (22-of-67) shooting. The Demon Deacons have now held eight of their 13 ACC opponents to below 40-percent shooting.
The team also won the battle on the glass by a decisive 46-37 margin including 14 offensive rebounds, the most of the season against an ACC foe. Five Demon Deacons grabbed at least five rebounds.
Alondes Williams led the offensive effort for Wake Forest, finishing the game with 23 points on nine made field goals to go along with eight rebounds and four assists.
Williams has now scored in double figures in 23 of Wake Forest’s 24 games. Additionally, the Milwaukee native has tallied at least 20 points in 12 contests, half of those coming in ACC play.
Jake LaRavia impacted the game in a number of ways as the junior finished with his third double-double of the season and one assist shy of a triple double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists.
The Indianapolis native scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, connecting on six field goals while also pulling down nine boards.
Isaiah Mucius was the third Demon Deacon to finish in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-7 from the field. Mucius tallied five-straight points late in the game to help the Deacs claim the road victory.
How It Happened
Jake LaRavia scored the game’s first field goal after Dallas Walton made a free throw, giving the Deacs an early 3-0 lead.
LaRavia ended a 7-0 Seminole run at the stripe, going 2-for-2 to tie the game at 7 with just over 14 minutes to go in the opening half.
Alondes Williams rolled in three unanswered layups, Damari Monsanto knocked down his first three-pointer, and Isaiah Mucius hit a layup as part of an 11-0 run that saw the Deacs take a 18-11 lead with 7:22 to play until halftime.
During the run, Wake Forest held Florida State scoreless for 6:49, as the Seminoles went 0-for-10 from the field.
Williams responded to a Seminole triple with a triple of his own, giving the Deacs a 7-point lead with 5:21 remaining in the first period.
Wake Forest entered the intermission with a 25-21 advantage over Florida State.
The Demon Deacons held the Seminoles to just 7-of-34 shooting (20.6 percent) from the field in the first half, and forced nine turnovers.
Alondes Williams led the team in the first period with a game-high 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting and five rebounds.
Mucius knocked down his first make from downtown to restore the Deacs’ four-point advantage (29-25) a minute and a half into the second half.
LaRavia scored a pair of baskets in quick succession to extend the Wake Forest lead to nine (42-33) with just over 14 minutes remaining in the contest.
Monsanto cashed in his second triple to push the Deacs’ lead to double digits (49-38) with just under 12 minutes left in regulation.
Daivien Williamson drilled a three-pointer to end an 8-0 Florida State run and give the Deacs a 6-point cushion (52-46) with just over nine minutes to play in the final period.
Williams rolled in a layup after a pair of Seminole buckets to put Wake Forest up four (54-50) with 5:46 remaining in the second half.
Mucius responded to a Seminole triple with his second triple to make it a two-possession game (60-56) with 3:26 to play.
Walton threw down a dunk and Mucius scored a second-chance layup to extend the team’s lead to six (64-58) with under two minutes remaining in the contest.
Monsanto drained a clutch three-pointer with 38 seconds on the clock to give Wake Forest a 67-60 lead and put the game out of reach for Florida State.
A free throw from Williams iced the game, and Wake Forest defeated Florida State, 68-60.
Key Moment
Moments after a Florida State three-pointer cut the Deacons’ lead to just one with under four minutes on the clock, Isaiah Mucius received a pass from Jake LaRavia and drained his second three-pointer of the afternoon to give the team a two-possession lead with 3:23 to play.
Soon after, Mucius grabbed a miss and scored a putback layup to extend the lead to six with under two minutes left in the game. Mucius’ two baskets helped ensure that the Seminoles would not bring the game within one possession for the remainder of the contest.
Stat of the Game
Jake LaRavia finished with his third double-double of the season and one assist shy of a triple double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists.
The Indianapolis native scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, connecting on six field goals while also pulling down nine boards.
LaRavia’s performance marks the second-straight game a Demon Deacon was one assist shy of a triple-double after Alondes Williams finished with 15 points to go along with a 10 rebounds and nine assists against Pitt on Wednesday.
LaRavia is now just 76 points from eclipsing 1,000 career points:
2019-20 (Indiana State): 283
2020-21 (Indiana State): 308
2021-22 (Wake Forest): 333
Coach’s Comments
“I don’t think we ever let our offense dictate our defense and that was the key to the game. We needed Alondes and Jake to play really well on the road, and they were outstanding today. They were the two best players on the court, and we went to them over and over again late in the game. We did a really good job executing on offense down the stretch.
It was an ugly game, but we were resilient and we largely fixed the rebounding and turnover issues from the first half in the second half, which gave us the chance to win. We came in here a year ago and we lost a game that we should have won. Today, we found a way to win, and now we have 19 wins. It was not a pretty game by any means, but when you get to February you just have to find a way to win.”- head coach Steve Forbes
Up Next
The Deacs return to the hardwood this week for a Big Four matchup in Raleigh with NC State on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
Tipoff in PNC Arena is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air live on ACC Network.
