Deacs Look To Duplicate Defensive Effort Against Arkansas
12/19/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 19, 1999
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Coming off its best defensive effort in 52 years, Wake Forest hopes to shut down Arkansas in similar fashion on Monday.
The 25th-ranked Demon Deacons (7-1) stifled High Point on Friday, 79-35. Antwan Scott had a career-high 15 points and added nine rebounds for Wake Forest, which held an opponent to its lowest point total since holding Atlantic Christian to 30 points in the 1947-48 season.
Scott will be expected to perform like this for a while. Starting forward Darius Songalia sprained a ligament in his right knee and is not expected to play in this game.
Songalia, who averages 13.1 points per game, may miss up to 10 days.
"Where one door closes another one opens," Odom said about Scott's chance to play. "You guys have been asking for him, now you're going to get him. ... We'll see if he can play defense. We'll see if he can rebound against the highest level of college basketball, because that's what we've got coming."
Arkansas (6-2) used a strong second half to post an 85-60 win over Mercer on Saturday. Jason Gilbert scored a career-high 20 points for the Razorbacks, who received six points and nine rebounds from highly regarded freshman Larry Satchell in his collegiate debut.
We are almost a new team with Satchell on the floor. He makes a difference," Razorbacks coach Nolan Richardson said. "His offensive skills aren't there yet, but within a month we will see what he can do."
The Razorbacks are forcing almost 23 turnovers per game and holding opponents to 39.1 percent shooting.
The schools have split four all-time meetings and this completes a home-and-home series started last season. Arkansas rolled to a 75-59 win at Wake Forest last season as Pat Bradley hit five 3-pointers and finished 27 points. Songalia had 23 points and 12 rebounds, but the Demon Deacons shot only 33 percent from the field.