Florida State started life without Chris Singleton on a winning note, pulling away from host Wake Forest in the second half for an 84-66 victory Saturday.

Bernard James scored 15 points for the Seminoles (19-7, 9-3 ACC), who played for the first time since losing Singleton – their leading scorer and rebounder – last Saturday to a fractured right foot.

Travis McKie’s 20 points led Wake Forest (8-19, 1-11 ACC), which shot 32.8 percent in losing its sixth in a row.

Trailing 33-31 at halftime, Florida State took control in the second half with a 13-2 run. The Seminoles started the run on Michael Snaer’s layup with 16:02 left. Ian Miller’s layup with 12:19 left ended the surge and gave Florida State a 50-39 advantage.

The Demon Deacons pulled within eight at the nine-minute mark, but Florida State answered with a 13-1 run to put the game out of reach.

Florida State trails first-place Duke by two games in the ACC standings and is in position to earn an at-large berth with a solid finish. The Seminoles play Wednesday at Maryland. Wake Forest plays host to Virginia Tech on Tuesday.