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Wake takes share of ACC lead
Wake takes share of ACC lead

By Rob Daniels Staff Writer
News & Record
WINSTON-SALEM -- The Wake Forest Demon Deacons aren't just finding ways to win; they're finding ways to win comfortably. Even when some factoids suggest their comfort level should be somewhere near Folsom Prison standards.
After Thursday's 86-75 victory against N.C. State, the Deacs (8-2 ACC, 20-3) are tied for the conference lead and are the first team in the league with 20 overall victories. And that's after a night in which the opponent shot 56 percent from the floor. Only five days earlier, Wake won an ACC road game by 20 points while Chris Paul went scoreless from the field.
"We're like the guys chasing Butch and Sundance," said coach Skip Prosser, referring to the film that came out when he was still in college. "You turn and we're still going to be there."
And you look at the stat sheet and it's probably still going to have a victory on it. The Deacs prevailed Thursday because they started with second-chance points and finished at the foul line, where they were 35-for-42 on the night.
"Did they really shoot 56 percent?" asked Paul, seemingly stunned at the fact. They were at that level almost the entire night, as a matter of fact. And they were never closer than five points in the final 36 minutes.
Wake's first three baskets and four of its first seven came on put-backs. Twice in the final five minutes, second-chance points -- an Eric Williams layup and two Justin Gray free throws -- took a seven-point lead to nine and blunted a State comeback bid.
That's one of several of the Deacs' offensive calling cards. Two seasons ago, they won the ACC regular-season championship while shooting below the national average from the 3-point line. How? They led the country in rebound margin.
"We tried to be aggressive offensively tonight," forward Jamaal Levy said. "We tried to set the tone, and setting the tone meant getting the ball back so we could put it back in."
Wake defined the midsection by going 20 possessions over 13 minutes without a turnover. Consequently, they scored at least one point on 16 of those 20 trips. Only when the Deacs got sloppy did the Pack make a charge.
And then there was that wacky foul-line stuff. Wake Forest is, by statistical standards, an average free-throw-shooting team. But when games get close, the Deacs put the other guy away. They went 10-for-12 in the final 3:06 Thursday, making them 50-for-59 (.847) in the final four minutes of their 10 heavily contested games on the year. Otherwise, they're substandard.
"If a team shoots 56 percent, I know that's not a really good stat, but at the same time, we won because we shot well, too," Williams said. "We were really good from the 3-point line. Everybody made their free throws when they had to. And it all comes down to a win. It doesn't matter what the stats say."
The standings now say Wake is even with North Carolina and Duke, both of which it has beaten and only one of which -- Duke -- it must play again.
"It's in the back of your head," Paul said. "You watch the ACC games when they come on. And you're seeing what's happening. We understand we're sort of in the driver's seat."