Wake Men's Basketball Falls To Florida State In ACC Opener, 66-64
O'Kelley's 20 points, Songaila's 18 is not enough to hold off Seminole comeback.
Jan. 4, 2000
Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Ron Hale gave Florida State its first triumph at
Wake Forest in seven years, scoring a career-high 37 points to rally the
Seminoles from 18 down in the second half to a 66-64 victory Tuesday night.
Hale's scoring output came in the first game of the Atlantic Coast
Conference season and was the highest ever for a Seminole in an ACC game.
Hale scored 23 in the final 16 minutes, including a pair of free throws that
gave the Seminoles their first lead at 60-59 with 2:52 remaining.
There were two more lead changes before Florida State's Delvon Arrington
stole the ball from Robert O'Kelley with 55 seconds left, leading to a layup by
Hale that pushed Florida State's lead to 64-61 with 24 seconds remaining.
A 3-point try by Wake Forest's Craig Dawson sailed out of bounds with six
seconds left, and Hale sealed it with a pair of foul shots. O'Kelley's
50-footer at the buzzer accounted for the final margin.
Florida State (6-5) forced 16 turnovers, shot 45 percent and closed the game
with a 39-19 run.
Wake Forest (9-4) had five turnovers in the last six minutes and lost for
the third time in four games.
The Demon Deacons got 20 points from O'Kelley, but he also had six
turnovers. Darius Songaila added 18 points.
The Seminoles trailed 30-24 after a first half in which Hale, a senior
forward, had 14 points and none of his teammates had more than three.
Wake Forest stretched its lead to 45-27 on a layup by Songaila with 15:13
remaining before Florida State rallied.
With Hale scoring 12, the Seminoles went on a 21-4 run that cut it to 49-48
on a free throw by Damous Anderson with 8:12 left.
Hale tied it at 53-all when he hit a 3-pointer at 5:51 mark with 6-foot-5
Niki Arinze guarding him closely as the shot clock was about to expire.
Florida State came in averaging less than 13 turnovers but had seven in the
first 11 minutes. The Demon Deacons converted the Florida State miscues into 11
points, helping them open the game with a 24-9 run.
