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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Wake Forest really needed a win.
|  | | Wake Forest's Josh Howard drives to the basket as Florida State's Andrew Wilson attempts to block his shot from behind. |
The Demon Deacons (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) had lost four of five games and
were in danger of dropping out of the top the Top 25.
Then they won on the road Saturday, getting a balanced scoring
attack and strong play off the bench by Robert O'Kelley beat
Florida State 71-65.
"Does it turn the corner?" Wake Forest coach Dave Odom asked.
"We'll see about that. I think the optimal word we should try to
find is consistency."
O'Kelley scored 18 points and Josh Howard made a key 3-point
shot late to spark the Wake Forest victory.
Wake Forest (16-7, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) took a 45-30
lead early in the second half, but wound up in a battle. Florida
State came within three points on several occasions, the final time
at 64-61 on two free throws by Mike Mathews with 3:56 left.
"You've got to give Wake credit," Florida State coach Steve
Robinson said. "When we did make a run at them, they did
respond."
Howard tried just one 3-point shot, but made it count, hitting a
basket with 3:08 left that gave Wake Forest a bit of breathing
space at 67-61.
"Josh Howard's three against their zone was absolutely huge,'
Odom said. "We're accustomed to him doing that kind of thing."
The Seminoles (6-17, 1-9) had climbed back into the game with a
10-0 run, pulling within 45-40, then got within three for the first
time at 54-51 on a free throw by Nigel Dixon.
Florida State, which played without scoring leader Monty
Cummings, who had the flu, was led in scoring by Mathews' 15
points. The 6-10 first-year center hit all six field goal tries.
But the rest of the Seminoles were only 16 of 45 with point
guard Delvon Arrington suffering through a 1-for-12 shooting day.
O'Kelley, who has not started the past four games for the
slumping Demon Deacons, hit 6-of-10 shots, including 3-of-6 from
3-point range, in 26 minutes.
"Robert certainly had a very, very good day for him and for
us," Odom said. "It couldn't have come at a better time."
Howard and Darius Songaila each added 13 points while Josh
Shoemaker made 5 of 6 shots and finished with 12 for the Demon
Deacons, who shot 48.1 percent from the field and hit 16-of-18 free
throws.
Junior guard Craig Dawson, who had a career high 29 points
earlier in the week against top-ranked North Carolina, was held to
five points against the Seminoles.
Michael Joiner and Adrian Crawford each scored 11 points for
Florida State, while Andrew Wilson had 10.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Wake Forest Clubhouse
Florida State Clubhouse
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