TALLAHASSEE — Fittingly, a day that began with Florida State’s basketball team christening new uniforms donated by actor Burt Reynolds climaxed with a Hollywood finish.

One of the unlikeliest Seminoles, fifth-year reserve center Byron Wells, sank a 3-point shot with three seconds left in overtime to lift exhausted FSU over sixth-ranked Duke 89-88 and to a landmark victory in coach Pat Kennedy’s 13 seasons as a head coach.

“This,” Wells said sheepishly, “is something I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about.”

Kennedy, his cheeks stained red from celebratory postgame kisses, called the triumph before a regional television audience and a near-record crowd of 13,333 at Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center FSU’s biggest since its Final Four season of 1971-72.

Regardless, the Seminoles march into Chapel Hill, N.C., on Wednesday with a chance to wrest first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference from No. 3 North Carolina.

They get the chance thanks to a late steal and a two-bounce 3-pointer by Wells over the outstretched arm of Duke’s Cherokee Parks.

“Byron’s one of those guys who’s really enjoying himself,” Kennedy said. “He has got four or five job offers from accounting firms. Four or five years ago, this is not a script anybody would have written.

“We got it to Byron and we got a bounce. The bounce we didn’t get against Indiana, the bounce we didn’t get against UCLA, we got that bounce today. We’ll take this bounce over those bounces.”

For those counting heroes wearing gold uniforms for the first time, FSU (13-5, 5-1) held a few hands high, including those of:

— Charlie Ward, who had five steals, one of which eliminated Duke’s chance to win in regulation and sent the game to overtime.

— Douglas Edwards, who fouled out with 1:28 left in regulation but not before cajoling and inspiring his teammates, mostly with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

— Sam Cassell, who played a perfect end-game role as decoy and set up Wells’ final shot.

— Wells, a fifth-year senior who delayed graduation to play this year and made every shot he took Sunday — and two 3-pointers in 17 minutes.

Six Seminoles scored in double figures, and four played at least 42 minutes.

“We’ve been involved in some great games, and today was one of them,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team was led by Grant Hill’s 25 points and Bobby Hurley’s 22.

“They played really well, and we played well. Edwards was great today.”

The Blue Devils (13-3, 3-3), who fell to .500 in the ACC for the first time in four years, led by 11, 61-50, with 11:27 left in regulation.

FSU caught them with 5:21 left and twice stole possible victory from them.

Following Ward’s theft of Hill to end regulation, Wells intercepted an errant pass from Hurley with 15 seconds left in overtime.

Instead of trying to pad an 88-86 lead, Duke instead tried to defend FSU’s favorite final-seconds play: Stop Cassell one-on-one.

The Blue Devils did, but Cassell spotted Wells open in the deep corner. Wells didn’t flinch with Parks running at him.

“When I let it go I thought it was going to go in,” Wells said. “I shot it pretty soft. Once it got stuck on the rim, I thought it would go in.”