RALEIGH, N.C. -- Von Wafer scored 23 points Wednesday and Florida State earned its first conference road win in nearly four years by beating North Carolina State 70-64.
Al Thornton scored 12 points for the Seminoles (11-9, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had lost 26 straight road games in the league. Alexander Johnson added 11 to give Florida State its first ACC road win since beating Clemson 75-63 on March 3, 2001.
Julius Hodge scored 14 points for the Wolfpack (12-7, 2-4), which continued its up-and-down ways in conference play. The Wolfpack has beaten Georgia Tech and won at Maryland, but lost to league newcomers Virginia Tech and Miami.
Florida State shot 49 percent for the game and went 8-for-16 from 3-point range. The Seminoles also hit 18 of 22 free throws.
The Seminoles trailed by eight with about 6 minutes left in the first half, but used a 20-4 run before the break to take a 33-25 lead at halftime. Wafer then scored eight quick points, hitting two 3-pointers and throwing down a slam off a turnover to push that lead to 45-31 with 17:03 left.
The Wolfpack kept fighting, inching closer to the Seminoles as the clock wound down into the final minutes. Trailing 65-57, Jordan Collins hit his only 3-pointer of the game, and Engin Atsur scored off a feed from Gavin Grant on consecutive possessions to close the gap to three.
But the Wolfpack got no closer. Trailing 66-63 in the final seconds, Collins airballed a 3 from the right wing, and Adam Waleskowski hit two free throws to essentially seal it with 8.7 seconds left.
N.C. State didn't help itself from the free-throw line. The Wolfpack hit 13 of 23 free throws, while Grant, Collins and Hodge combined to go 2-for-6 in the final 1:44.
Florida State controlled the first half, shooting 54 percent and holding the Wolfpack to 8-for-26 shooting. Wafer scored 11 on 4-for-5 shooting, and Waleskowski hit a long 3 just before the buzzer for the eight-point lead at the break.
N.C. State shot 54 percent in the second half, but couldn't overcome that deficit.
