Wake Forest Is Upset in OT

What a time to miss.

After No. 3 Wake Forest had made an NCAA-record 50 consecutive free throws, the Demon Deacons’ top free-throw shooter missed -- with the score tied at 76 and four seconds left.

And Florida State didn’t give the third-ranked Demon Deacons another chance -- winning 91-83 in overtime Tuesday night at Tallahassee, Fla.

“That was a moment where I was probably a little concerned,” Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton said. “They had hit what, 50 straight free throws?”

But Taron Downey missed after being fouled while making a desperation three-point basket.

“It felt good when it left my hand,” Downey said. “But you know, it happens like that sometimes.”

Wake Forest, 15-2 overall and 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, made 32 free throws in a row Saturday in a 95-82 victory over North Carolina and its first 18 Tuesday night before Downey’s miss.

Wake Forest’s 50 consecutive free throws broke the mark of 49 set in 1991 by Indiana State.

Todd Galloway scored nine consecutive points in overtime and finished with a career-high 21 to help Florida State end Wake Forest’s 10-game winning streak.

Von Wafer scored 25 of his career-high 30 points in the first half as Florida State (10-8, 2-3) twice opened 19-point leads on its way to a 46-32 lead at halftime.

No. 7 Syracuse 78, Georgetown 73 -- Hakim Warrick had 25 points and 11 rebounds, but the Orange needed overtime to win at Syracuse, N.Y.

The victory was the 11th in a row for Syracuse (18-1, 5-0), which remained atop the Big East. But Georgetown (11-5, 3-2) gave the Orange its toughest game of the season despite serious foul trouble for its top three scorers.

Brandon Bowman, who was whistled for his fourth foul with 5:31 left in regulation, led Georgetown with 19 points. Jeff Green, who fouled out with 4:44 left, finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Ashanti Cook, who was called for his fourth foul less than two minutes into the second half, had only seven points in 18 minutes.

No. 22 Alabama 98, No. 17 Mississippi State 49 -- Earnest Shelton scored 34 points, and Alabama held Mississippi State without a field goal for nearly 15 minutes of the first half at Tuscaloosa, Ala., and handed the Bulldogs their worst loss in 50 years.

The Crimson Tide (14-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) gave up only three field goals in the first half for a 49-18 lead. It didn’t get any better after that for Mississippi State (15-4, 3-2), which matched its second-worst loss, a 113-64 defeat at Louisville on Dec. 8, 1954.

No. 18 Oklahoma 70, Texas A&M; 54 -- Drew Lavender scored a season-high 23 points, and Oklahoma ended Texas A&M;’s 11-game home winning streak at College Station, Texas.

The Sooners (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) have won eight in a row and 12 of 13. Antoine Wright led the Aggies (12-3, 1-3) with 24 points and was the only A&M; player to score in double figures.

No. 19 Michigan State 71, Purdue 64 -- Maurice Ager scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half for the Spartans at East Lansing, Mich.

The Spartans (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) looked sluggish early before riding Ager’s sharp shooting late in the game. Carl Landry scored a career-high 31 points for Purdue (4-11, 0-5), and David Teague had 13. The Boilermakers are 0-5 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1962-63 season.

St. John’s 65, No. 21 Pittsburgh 62 -- Daryll Hill scored 26 points, including three free throws in the final 25 seconds at New York, as St. John’s ended a three-game losing streak.

Hill, who had career highs of 29 and 30 in his last two games, had only three points over the final 15 minutes but they were enough to give the Red Storm (7-7, 1-3 Big East) their second win over a ranked team.

Carl Krauser had 22 points, seven assists and eight turnovers for the Panthers (12-3, 3-2), who had won two in a row.