Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Seminoles score late to defeat Cavaliers
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Dwayne Bacon scored 26 of his 29 points after halftime and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 4 seconds left, lifting No. 20 Florida State past No. 12 Virginia 60-58 on Saturday.
Bacon scored the last seven points during a 9-0 run for the Seminoles (14-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) that turned a 51-49 deficit into a 56-51 lead, and then answered quickly after Kyle Guy’s 3-pointer had given Virginia a 58-57 lead with 8.8 seconds to play.
Guy scored 14 points and three others had 10 for Virginia (11-2, 1-1), which lost for just the second time in its last 37 ACC home games.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes added 10 points for the Seminoles, all in the first half.
The Seminoles won their 10th straight as they began a stretch of six consecutive games against teams in the Top 25, or likely to be there.
Virginia’s London Perrantes tried a half-court heave at the buzzer, and it was on line, but came up well short.
Florida St.: The Seminoles under Leonard Hamilton have always been physical defensively, and their physicality, length and athleticism are also paying off at the free throw line this season. Florida State has made more free throws than its opponent attempted six times this season and theN`oles were already 9 for 17 from the line when Mamadi Diakite attempted Virginia’s first free throw with 12:19 left in the game.
Virginia: Guy appears to be getting more comfortable and assertive offensively, which will help the Cavaliers since Perrantes still goes long stretches without looking to score and others are inconsistent. Perrantes’ first shot against the Seminoles came with about 5 1⁄2 minutes left in the half and his first basket came on a 3-pointer 3:17 before halftime. UP NEXT: The Seminoles are at home next Saturday against Virginia Tech.
Virginia plays at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.