Wake Forest University
Lithuanian All-Stars (Exh.)
Deacons Edge Club Ventspils, 75-73
11/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2000
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Robert O'Kelley's jump shot with five seconds remaining lifted Wake Forest to a 75-73 exhibition win over a talented Latvian team here Monday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
O'Kelley's clutch jumper capped a second half that saw Wake Forest erase a five-point deficit to begin the period and blow an eight-point lead in the final 5:36.
"Win or lose, that game can only help us," Wake head coach Dave Odom said. "I was very pleased with the gutty performance we gave."
Just seven Deacons saw action. Starters Rafael Vidaurreta (knee surgery), Ervin Murray (mononucleosis) and Darius Songaila (sprained ankle) were in dress clothes Wednesday night. And Odom held out center Dshamal Schoetz because the coach is considering redshirting the freshman seven-footer.
The shorthanded Deacs fell behind by as many as 10 points (35-25) in the first half, but a three-point field goal by junior guard Broderick Hicks and a free throw by senior center Josh Shoemaker helped pull Wake within 37-32 at intermission.
"We got a good halftime talk in and we decided to play harder," sophomore Josh Howard said. "A game like this is good because it lets us know that we can come back when we're down. They (Ventspils) are a real good team, as we expected."
Wake took its first lead with 16:02 left on a follow dunk by Antwan Scott, but that lead would change hands five more times before the final buzzer. The Deacs appeared to have things in command with 5:36 remaining when Shoemaker's field goal gave WFU a 66-58 lead.
Club Ventspils, however, scored eight unanswered points to tie the score, 66-66. In the final three minutes, O'Kelley drained a key three-point field goal, Craig Dawson converted a conventional three-point play and Scott made one free throw to set the stage for O'Kelley's late heroics.
The Deacons, who completed exhibition play 2-0, will open the regular season at home next Thursday in the opening round of the BCA Classic versus Mount St. Mary's.
