March Madness arrived early on Wednesday night as Florida State pulled off a stunning second-half comeback to edge out Wake Forest 72-70 at the Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
π΄ FSU (15-9, 6-7 ACC) secured its first road win at Wake Forest since the 2019-20 season, while the Demon Deacons (18-6, 10-3 ACC) suffered a heartbreaking loss after leading for most of the game.
π₯ 2nd-Half Surge Fuels Seminolesβ Victory

At halftime, FSU trailed 35-21, but a dominant 51-35 second-half performance, including a 27-9 closing run, turned the game in their favor.
π¨ With 8:22 left, Wake Forest held a 61-45 lead, seemingly on their way to a comfortable win. But the Seminoles responded with a 9-0 run, setting the stage for an electric finish.
With Jamir Watkins fouled out late, it was next man upβand that man was Taylor Bol Bowen!
π₯ Clutch Moment:
β³ 15 seconds left β Bol Bowen drills a three-pointer after a timeout by Leonard Hamilton, putting FSU ahead 70-69.
π± Drama in the final second:
A half-court foul by Daquan Davis sent Cameron Hildreth to the line with three shots, but he missed two, sealing the victory for FSU!
π Standout Performances
β
Taylor Bol Bowen & Jamir Watkins: 15 PTS each
β
Malique Ewin: 14 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK (clutch game-tying shot at 67-67)
*β
Justin Thomas: 8 PTS (back-to-back clutch 3s late)
Wake Forestβs Cameron Hildreth (22 PTS) and Hunter Sallis (20 PTS, 6 REB) were dominant, but FSUβs late-game defense made the difference.
ποΈ Coach Leonard Hamilton Reacts
π£οΈ βWe always have confidence in ourselves. We know when we play our best basketball, we can play anybody, anytime, anywhere.β – Taylor Bol Bowen
π£οΈ βWe were very fortunate to come away with the win. Wake Forest played a great–game, but our defense and execution in the last 10–minutes were much better.β – Leonard Hamilton
βοΈ Whatβs Next for FSU?
π Home Sweet Home! The Seminoles return to Tallahassee to host No. 19 Clemson (20-5, 12-2 ACC) on Saturday at 2 PM.
π FSU looks to avenge a 77-57 loss to the Tigers on Jan. 11 before hosting Miami (6-18, 2-11 ACC) next Wednesday at 9 PM.
π¬ What a win! Drop your thoughts in the comments! β¬οΈπ₯

Leave a Reply