Big East Sports Blog

The Demon Deacons were powered by five players in double figures, led by Jamie Skeen, as Wake Forest marched to a 74-61 win over South Florida. 

Skeen led the Demon Deacons, who improved to 7-3 on the year, with 17 points.  Harvey Hale added 14 points, Jeff Teague had 11 points, and L.D. Williams and James Johnson each added 10 points.

The Demon Deacons led by as much as 21 during the game, and went from opening tap to the final buzzer without trailing in the game.  With the victory, Wake Forest snapped the Bulls’ seven -game winning streak and notched their second in a row.

For the Bulls, Dominique Jones and Jesus Verdejo each had 14 points and Chris Howard and Kentrell Gransberry chipped in with 10 points apiece for South Florida.  The loss puts the Bulls at 7-4 on the year.

Early on in the second half, the Bulls got to as close as they would come all evening, trailing 40-35, but Wake Forest used a smothering 21-5 run, spear-headed by Hale, who had eight points during the spurt.  With just over eight minutes remaining, the Demon Deacons lead ballooned to 61-40.  The Bulls had little trouble putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the basketball, with a bevy of layups and short runners in the lane.  Their three-point shooting, however, was a different story, as South Florida shot a measly 3-for-19 from beyond the arc.

Wake Forest handed South Florida their first loss since Nov. 16th, a seven point defeat at the hands of Rhode Island.  This marks the first time since 1972 the Demon Deacons defeated the Bulls.

Wake Forest took a 37-27 lead into halftime.  The Demon Deacons opened the game on a 12-1 run.  Through the first nine and a half minutes of the first half, South Florida was only able to muster one field goal, as Wake Forest stretched their lead to 25-8 in the first half. 

South Florida will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, Dec. 22nd at 7 p.m. when they host the Terriers from St. Francis (NY).