National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wake Forest 82, Florida 71
When: 7:15 PM ET, Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Officials: # Tony Henderson, # Ted Valentine, # Tommy Morrissey
Attendance: 8165

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

Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Wake Forest
Riley Kugel 24 Scoring Hunter Sallis 24
Zyon Pullin 5 Assists Cameron Hildreth 4
Tyrese Samuel 8 Rebounds Andrew Carr 6
Zyon Pullin 6 Free Throws Made Cameron Hildreth 8
Walter Clayton Jr 3 Steals Andrew Carr 2
Thomas Haugh 2 Blocks Andrew Carr 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Florida 71 40.0 8-24 15-19 11 33 4 9 15
Wake Forest 82 49.1 6-16 20-29 12 28 3 8 13