The most dangerous freshman backcourt duo in the nation, blossoming Florida State Seminoles (12-5, 2-3 ACC) guards Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley entered Sunday night's home contest against the 13th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (13-4, 2-3 ACC) as the highest-scoring first-year tandem in Division 1 basketball.
The pair certainly did not disappoint in the Seminoles biggest victory of the 2015-16 to date, the two both showcasing their tremendous talents while leading Florida State to a resounding 69-62 upset win over the Cavaliers.
Bacon led his team in both scoring with 18 points and rebounding with nine boards, utilizing his 6'7", 210-pound frame to his advantage as he bullied his way to the rim on multiple occasions.
Beasley was also instrumental in the victory, finishing with 17 points, including a trio of three-pointers, to accompany his three assists.
Florida State also received some assistance from their veterans as well, with sophomore guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes dropping 11 points and three rebounds while senior reserve guard Devon Bookert chipped in nine points, including two crucial three-pointers, to pace the Seminoles bench production.
Point guard London Perrantes tallied 19 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, however, his effort was not enough to lead Virginia to their third conference win.
Forward Anthony Gill added 13 points for the Cavaliers while forward Malcolm Brogdon struggled mightily from the field en route to 10 points, shooting just 4-for-17 on the day.
Brogdon's porous performance from the field signified Virginia's inability to shoot the ball in general as the evening went on, as they shot just 39% from the field compared with Florida State's 49% mark.
The Cavaliers committed just nine turnovers in comparison with the Seminoles 15 while garnering more assists (14-8) and offensive rebounds (6-5) than their opposition, however, it was their dismal outing from the field that signaled their downfall.
Virginia appeared to be in control at the 12-minute mark of the second half as they possessed a 39-36 lead, however, the game unraveled from there.
In the span of two minutes, Beasley knocked down a three, guard Terance Mann drove down the lane for a bucket, and Bookert hit a trey, giving Florida State a 44-39 advantage.
This lead was cut to 48-45 with 7:25 remaining after a layup by Gill, however, Bacon responded with an and-one drive and a jumper to extend the gap to 53-45 with 6:36 left.
A Perrantes three-pointer with 4:46 to go slimmed the Cavaliers deficit to 55-52, snatching the momentum onto the Virginia side.
However, Rathan-Mayes was able to bury a corner jumper at the shot clock buzzer with 3:35 remaining which proceeded a critical three-pointer by Bookert with 2:28 to give Florida State a commanding 60-53 lead, essentially sealing the victory for the Seminoles.