Hunter Sallis pumped in 24 points and Andrew Carr tallied 22 points as Wake Forest rallied in the second half to defeat visiting Florida 82-71 as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night at Winston-Salem, N.C.
A late-game 10-1 run made the difference as the Demon Deacons improved to 3-0 in home games.
Cameron Hildreth added 18 points, including clutch offense down the stretch, and Kevin Miller provided 11 points for Wake Forest (4-3), which has won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Riley Kugel posted 24 points, draining half of his team’s eight 3-point baskets, and Florida teammates Tyrese Samuel, Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin all had 12 points. The Gators (4-3) were hurt by 15 turnovers.
The Gators went up 45-36 early in the second half, aided by a couple of Wake Forest turnovers. The Demon Deacons were even at 52 with 10:33 left.
Later, Hildreth’s free throw broke a 66-66 tie with 3:35 remaining and his layup extended the lead. Miller made it 71-66, while the Gators were in a stretch of four consecutive possessions with a total of one point.
When Sallis converted a three-point play with 1:32 left, it was 74-67 and that was followed by another basket from Miller.
Wake Forest ended up shooting 49.1 from the field, with Carr connecting on three of the team’s six 3-pointers. Hildreth was 8-for-10 on free throws.
Florida led 36-32 at halftime despite shooting 39.4 percent from the field. Kugel scored the last five points of the first half.
Wake Forest scored only two points in the last 4:20 of the half. Earlier, Florida turned a 15-8 hole into a 20-17 lead.
Samuel picked up his third foul less than three minutes into the second half.
The Gators were without center Micah Handlogten because of an ankle injury.
–Field Level Media
