New York ? It was Taurean Green’s turn to lead the Florida Gators.

The sophomore guard almost doubled his career high with 23 points and Florida beat No. 19 Wake Forest 77-72 on Thursday night in the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic.

The Gators (3-0) advanced to today’s championship game against Syracuse.

“Taurean hasn’t had that kind of game, and he’s not always going to score 23,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “We’re just a team that’s going to have different people step up on different nights.”

Green, whose previous best was 13 points as a freshman against Providence, hit a three-pointer in an 8-1 run that gave Florida a late lead. His long jumper was the Gators’ first field goal in a 5:36 span, but the Deacons had their own shooting slump at the same time.

Justin Gray hit two three-pointers in the final 25 seconds for Wake Forest, but Florida went 3-for-5 from the free throw line in that span. The Gators came up empty in just two of their final eight possessions.

Florida's Al Horford Reacts after dunking the ball against Wake Forest in the second half Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Florida won, 77-72, and earned a spot in the finals of the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic.

Green, who had five assists and three steals, was 4-for-8 from three-point range and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

“It was like my old running days,” Green said. “It just happened in the flow of the game. They were taking away the three from Lee Humphrey, so we just took what the defense gave us. It just happens.”

Corey Brewer, who led the Gators in scoring in their two wins, had 15 points and Al Horford added 11. Humphrey was 3-for-7 from three-point range.

Williams led Wake Forest with 20 points, while Gray had 19 and Trent Strickland 18. The Demon Deacons shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57), well off the 62.1 percent they shot in their first two games, and committed 22 turnovers, seven by Gray.

The loss ended a three-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden for Wake Forest, including the semifinals and finals of last year’s Preseason NIT.