Guard Edmond Sumner scored 21 points and guard Trevon Bluiett added 17 as No. 6 Xavier overcame a big first-half deficit to defeat host Wake Forest 78-70 on Tuesday at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Musketeers (12-0), who hold the highest ranking in program history, are off to the best start in school annals, but this one was shaky for a long stretch.

Xavier used a 12-0 run spanning the two halves to pull back into the game. The Musketeers went ahead for the first time at 49-47 with less than 14 minutes left.

The Demon Deacons (8-3) didn't make a field goal for more than seven minutes to start the second half.

Leading 66-59, Xavier relied on free throws for the last 6:33. It scored 10 of its final 12 points on foul shots, though Wake Forest closed within 69-67 at one point.

Guard Bryant Crawford's 16 points and forward John Collins' 11 points led the Demon Deacons, who had a five-game winning streak end. Forward Devin Thomas had 10 points, but guard Mitch Wilbekin didn't score in the second half after putting up eight points in the first.

Wake Forest, which built a 17-point edge late in the first half, led 43-28 at halftime, aided by Xavier's 29.4-percent shooting from the field and nine turnovers. Crawford had 13 points by the break.

The Musketeers hadn't trailed by more than seven in any previous game.

Forward James Farr added 12 points for Xavier.

Xavier became the first ranked non-conference opponent to visit Wake Forest in 11 seasons.

The matchup was dubbed the Skip Prosser Classic, which is a series of games between the teams that the late coach who worked at both schools.