Wake Forest University
Virginia
Wake Men's Hoops Falls To Virginia, 76-67
1/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2000
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Travis Watson scored a season-high 18 points and Virginia made three clutch 3-pointers over the final 7:25 to beat Wake Forest 76-67 Sunday.
The Cavaliers (15-5, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their fifth straight and surpassed both their overall and ACC win totals from a season ago to remain in second place in the league behind No. 3 Duke.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest (12-8, 3-5) lost for the fourth time in its last five games. Darius Songaila led the Demon Deacons with 17 points.
Watson, a freshman, scored 17 points twice earlier this season.
The Cavaliers, picked in the preseason poll to finish seventh in the ACC, made their first four shots in the opening 1:27 of the second half to extend their six-point halftime lead to 42-28.
Wake Forest then started its rally with Virginia's Chris Williams, the ACC's second-leading field goal shooter, on the bench with foul trouble. Williams picked up four fouls in a 5 1/2-minute span early in the second period.
Three free throws by Antwan Scott got the Demon Deacons within five points with 8:48 left, but after an exchange of baskets, Majestic Mapp drilled a 3-pointer - his first points of the game - to increase the lead to eight.
Over the next four minutes, Donald Hand and Stephane Dondon also hit long-range shots to help hold off one final Wake Forest rally. Virginia was 1-for-9 in the first half from beyond the arc, but was 6-for-9 in the final 20 minutes.
Mapp closed it out with four straight free throws after the Demon Deacons had closed to 70-65 with 1:09 left.
Virginia didn't turn the ball over in the opening 10 1/2 minutes to open up a 12-point lead, at one point getting five straight baskets.
After falling behind 28-15, the Demon Deacons got a spark from reserves Scott and Ervin Murray to inch back into the contest, going on an 11-4 run to close out the first half to trail by six.
It was the ninth straight game Wake Forest's struggling offense has failed to score at least 70 points.
