Sports > February 14, 2008

By Ryan Durham | Senior writer

Reeling from narrow back-to-back ACC defeats the Demon Deacons finished up a two game home-stand with a match against the Cavaliers of Virginia Feb. 9. With much riding on the game, a win for the Deacs would keep them in the middle of the ACC pack, but a loss would send them even further down the ladder Wake Forest stepped up to the challenge and defeated the Cavaliers 80-64.

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The game started off slow, with neither team scoring in the first three minutes.

But, as in their last two games, the Deacs started out in control and took an early lead off two three-pointers.

“We’ve shot the ball well the last two games at home and it’s big for us,” Head Coach Dino Gaudio said after the game. “When the ball’s falling, it gives you a little bit of energy on defense and it picks our kids up mentally. When the shots are falling, that’s a big key for us.”

By the mid point of the first half, Wake Forest had amassed a double-digit lead over the Cavaliers.

Virginia rallied back to within four points, but yet again the Deacs proved that they could hit the basket from behind the arc.

Wake Forest used this new found ability to take a nine point lead into the halftime locker room.

Freshman forward James Johnson found his touch again and led the Deacs through the first half.

Johnson scored 11 points and five rebounds. This included shooting two for two from behind the arc and four of six overall.

“James played like he has been playing all year,” Gaudio said. “ He had a couple bad games in a row. He was a little more focused and a little more driven today.”

Freshman guard Gary Clark also provided a positive push off the bench.

Clark provided four points and two assists in the first half and a steal.

“Gary for the second game in a row gave us a great lift,” Gaudio said.

Wake Forest came out of the locker room with the same strength as they had in the first half.

The Cavaliers did manage to pull to within three points but this would be the closest they would get in the half.

Wake Forest’s three-point shooting helped get the team out of this position twice, with junior guard Harvey Hale sealing the win by hitting a three-pointer with 2:45 left in the game to put the Deacs up by eight.

This was just part of Wake Forest’s 13-0 run in the last three minutes of the game that gave the Deacons their 80-64 win.

Johnson led Wake Forest on all fronts amassing 21 points and eight rebounds in the game. His biggest contribution came from the charity stripe shooting seven of 10 from the line.

Hale and sophomore guard Ishmael Smith also scored in double digits with 15 points apiece. Hale shot 57 percent from the three-point line and Smith contributed six assists and only one turnover in the game. Sophomore center Chas McFarland also contributed nine point and six boards despite being sick for the game.

“(McFarland) was really wiped out, (yesterday at practice),” Gaudio said. “I told him before the game ‘You know what? After you guys all leave and are big heroes, I’m going to tell the story of how Chas McFarland toughed it out.’”

Rebounds were the only aspect of the game the Deacs fell short in.

Though the two teams had the same amount of defensive rebounds the Cavaliers had 20 offensive rebounds to the Wake Forest’s nine.

With the win the Deacons are 14-8 overall and moved to 4-5 in the conference.

The team will travel to Tallahassee, Fla. Feb. 14 to face Florida State and then return home to face the Duke Blue Devils Feb. 17.