Wake Forest Athletics
#14 Deacons Take On #1 Duke Saturday In Durham
1/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2002
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#14 Wake Forest (13-4/3-1) at #1 Duke (14-1/3-1)
Game #18 / Jan. 19, 2002 Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC
Tip-Off: 1:03 p.m.
Television: ABC. Brent Musburger (play-by-play) and Dick Vitale (color analysis) call the action. Mark Loomis produces and Drew Esocoff directs.
Radio: The Deacon Radio Network, distributed by ISP. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
The Records: Wake Forest is 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the ACC after seeing its five-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night at No. 10 Virginia, 86-74. Duke is 14-1 and 3-1 entering Thursday night's game against visiting Maryland.
The Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 13th in the ESPN/USA Today poll and 14th in the Associated Press poll. Duke is ranked 1st in both polls.
WFU Coach Skip Prosser: Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 13-4 in his first season at Wake Forest. In nine years overall as a head coach, including one season at Loyola (MD) and seven seasons at Xavier, Prosser has a career record of 178-82.
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski: Krzyzewski (Army '69) is 547-165 in 22 seasons in Durham, 620-224 in 27 seasons overall.
The Series History: Duke leads 145-72. More series information on page two.
The Officials: Announced on game day.
#14 Deacons Take On #1 Duke Saturday In Durham
Wake Forest, smack in the middle of a treacherous three-game stretch, travels to No. 1-ranked Duke Saturday afternoon in a key ACC battle (1:03 p.m./ABC). The 14th-ranked Demon Deacons, 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the ACC, saw their five-game winning streak end Tuesday night at 10th-ranked Virginia, 86-74. Wake was hampered by a first-half injury to senior Antwan Scott and the Deacs surrendered 45 points to Virginia's duo of Travis Watson and Roger Mason, Jr. Duke, 14-1 and 3-1, hosts No. 3-ranked Maryland Thursday night. The Blue Devils whipped Georgia Tech and NC State after their stunning loss at Florida State on Jan. 6. Wake Forest last defeated the No. 1-ranked team on Feb. 23, 1992 when the Deacons beat Duke, 72-68, in Winston-Salem. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series, 145-72. Duke has won the last 10 meetings following a streak of nine consecutive Deacon wins over the Blue Devils from 1993-97. What's at stake for Wake Saturday: - If Duke beats Maryland Thursday, Saturday's game will be for first place in the ACC standings. - Wake Forest is looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season. - The Deacons are looking to win their first game on the road against a top 10 team for the first time since 1996-97. - Wake is looking to snap a 10-game losing streak to Duke and win in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since Jan. 11, 1997.
A Quick Look At The Deacons
Wake Forest is a veteran club with four seniors and one junior in the starting lineup. The experienced group is 5-0 this season in games decided by less than seven points. The Deacons, 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the ACC, hope to be at full strength on Saturday. Senior Antwan Scott suffered a severely dislocated finger on his non-shooting (left) hand in Tuesday's game at Virginia. Senior Darius Songaila (16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game) leads the Deacons, despite a below average performance at Virginia Tuesday (11 points, 6 rebounds). He shoots 52.0 percent from the field and 82.9 percent from the free throw line. Junior Josh Howard (14.1 ppg. and 8.1 rpg.) has been Wake's hottest player since mid-December. Howard, 6-6, leads the ACC in offensive rebounds and he leads Wake Forest in steals. Senior Craig Dawson (11.7 ppg.) ranks among the ACC leaders in three-point field goals (48) and three-point percentage (.414). He has 12 three-pointers over the last three games. Scott (10.6 ppg. and 5.4 rpg.) has led the ACC in blocked shots most of the season. Senior Broderick Hicks (8.8 ppg.) has started all 17 games at point guard and he leads the team in assists (59). Freshman Vytas Danelius (6.3 ppg. and 4.1 rpg.) continues to improve each week. Freshmen Taron Downey and Jamaal Levy and junior transfer Steve Lepore are all key reserves.
Deacon Streaks End In 86-74 Loss At No. 10 Virginia
Wake Forest's five-game winning streak and four-game ACC road winning streak came to an end Tuesday night in an 86-74 loss at No. 10 Virginia. Another streak -- holding opponents to less than 40 percent shooting in seven straight games -- also ended when the Cavaliers shot 49.1 percent against the Deacons. Wake Forest led by 11 points in the first half and was ahead 27-21 when Antwan Scott left the game with a severely dislocated finger. Scott returned in the second half but was ineffective because of the injury. Roger Mason, Jr. led Virginia with 25 points, including seven three-point field goals, and Travis Watson scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Josh Howard led Wake Forest with 19 points and eight rebounds. More from Tuesday's loss at Virginia: - Wake Forest tied a season-high with 25 three-point field goal attempts, but the Deacons converted just seven (28.0 percent). - The Deacons had a season-low 18 defensive rebounds and were out-rebounded for the first time in five games. - Virginia's 86 points were the most by a Deacon opponent since Georgia Tech scored 95 points (in overtime) on Jan. 13, 2001. - Mason's seven three-pointers were the most by a Deacon opponent this season and UVA's 10 treys tied a season opponent high.
Deacons Prepare To Take On #1 For The 26th Time In School History
Odds and ends on Wake Forest's history of playing the nation's No. 1-ranked team: - Wake Forest is 4-21 all-time against No. 1. - The last two times that Wake Forest has defeated the No. 1-ranked team -- Feb. 23, 1992 and Jan. 21, 1989 -- the opponent was No. 1 Duke. - Wake is 2-6 all-time against Duke when the Blue Devils are ranked No. 1. - Oddly, Saturday's game will be the first time a ranked Wake Forest team has played a Duke team ranked No. 1. It's odd because Wake has been ranked a total of 187 weeks since the AP poll originated in 1948-49. - In fact, in each of the four times that Wake Forest has beaten No. 1, the Deacons were not ranked in the top 25. Wake is 0-8 all-time against No. 1 when it is also ranked. - The highest Wake Forest has been ranked in a game against No. 1 came on Dec. 9, 1961 when the Deacons were ranked No. 3 before losing to No. 1 Ohio State, 84-62. The loss to the Buckeyes knocked Wake Forest out of the poll for the rest of the season, although the Deacons eventually went to the Final Four (where it lost again to No. 1 Ohio State). - Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 2-1 all-time when coaching against No. 1. Prosser's Xavier teams beat No. 1 Cincinnati in 1999-00 and in 1996-97. His only loss to a No. 1-ranked team was an overtime decision to No. 1 Massachusetts in 1995-96. Prosser, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Maryland's Gary Williams are the only current ACC coaches to own more than one victory against a No. 1-ranked team. - The Deacons have beaten No. 1 on the road just once -- 55-48 at No. 1 North Carolina on Jan. 21, 1982.
Wake Forest-Duke Series History
- Duke leads the all-time series, 145-72. - The Blue Devils have won the last 10 meetings dating back to 1996-97. - Prior to Duke's 10-game win streak, the Deacons won nine straight over the Blue Devils from 1992-93 to 1996-97. - Duke owns a 47-16 series lead at Cameron Indoor Stadium and has won the last four meetings in Durham by an average of 25.8 points per game. - Wake Forest is 5-7 against Duke in Lawrence Joel Coliseum including a heart-breaking 82-80 loss last season. The Blue Devils have won five straight in Winston-Salem. - In the last four meetings with a No. 1-ranked Duke team, Wake Forest has won twice -- in 1991-92 and in 1988-89. - While Wake has never won in Durham against a No. 1-ranked Duke team, the Deacons have enjoyed success in Cameron Indoor Stadium against highly-ranked Blue Devil teams. WFU beat No. 2 Duke in 1994, No. 3 Duke in 1993 and No. 2 Duke in 1985. - The two teams first met in 1906 and Wake Forest won the first six meetings. - Wake Forest is 3-0 this season against teams from North Carolina with wins over UNC-Wilmington, Elon and North Carolina. - Wake's Skip Prosser has never coached against Duke. - Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is 26-18 all-time versus Wake Forest.
Deacon-Blue Devil Connections
- Wake Forest assistant coach Dino Gaudio and Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski both previously served as the head coach at Army. - Wake head coach Skip Prosser was an assistant coach at Xavier in 1986-87 when Duke beat the Musketeers, 65-60, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. The captain of that Blue Devil team was current Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker.
Deacon Streaks
- The Deacons have an nine-game homecourt winning streak with a perfect 9-0 record this season. Wake has not lost in Lawrence Joel Coliseum since an 82-80 defeat to No. 4-ranked Duke on Feb. 24, 2001. - Wake Forest has won 23 consecutive non-conference home games. Wake's last non-conference loss at home came against 19th-ranked Arkansas on Dec. 23, 1998. - The Deacons have won four of their last five ACC road games, including the final three of last season. - Wake Forest has made at least one three-point field goal in 272 consecutive games. - The Deacons are 5-0 this season in games decided by five points or less. - Wake Forest is 8-0 when scoring 80 points or more. - WFU is 12-0 this season when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. - The Deacons are 9-0 when Darius Songaila shoots 50 percent or better. - Wake has used the same starting lineup -- Broderick Hicks, Craig Dawson, Antwan Scott, Darius Songaila and Josh Howard -- in all 17 games. - Dawson has made at least one three-point field goal in every game this season. Throw out the game against Maryland in last year's ACC Tournament when Dawson played just one minute before getting injured, he has made at least one three-pointer in 27 straight games.
Deacons Jump From 19th To 13th, 14th In The Polls
Wake Forest made its biggest leap and earned its highest ranking of the season in the national polls this week. The Deacons jumped from No. 19 to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll and from No. 19 to No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Both rankings are Wake's highest this season. Wake Forest has been ranked in both polls for eight consecutive weeks and the Deacons have been in the AP poll in 27 of the last 28 weeks. More on Wake Forest and the national polls: - Wake Forest is 2-3 against ranked foes this year with two of the losses coming on the road to top 10 teams. The Deacons beat No. 25 Marquette and No. 23 Fresno State and lost to No. 18 Syracuse, No. 4 Kansas and No. 10 Virginia. - Wake Forest is ranked 10th by CBS Sportsline.com, 11th by The Sporting News, 12th by Basketball America, 14th by CollegeRPI.com and 17th in the Sagarin ratings.
Wake's Schedule One Of Its Most Difficult Slates Ever
Wake Forest will play its sixth nationally-ranked opponent of the season Saturday at No. 1 Duke, which helps illustrate why the Deacon schedule is one of the most difficult in school history. Consider: - Using the AP poll, six of the nation's top 10 ranked teams are on the Deacon schedule -- No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Maryland, No. 4 Kansas, No. 7 Cincinnati, No. 8 Syracuse and No. 10 Virginia. - Wake is 2-3 this season against ranked teams. Last season the Deacons won two games against ranked teams all year. Another win over a ranked team would give the Deacons their most wins over ranked teams since 1996-97. - The Deacons are looking to beat a ranked team on the road for the first time since beating No. 21 Clemson on Jan. 9, 1999. - Wake will look for its first win on the road against a top 10 team since beating four teams in the top 10 in 1996-97. - WFU is looking for its first win over a No. 1-ranked team since beating Duke, 72-68, on Feb. 23, 1992 in Winston-Salem. - Seven of Wake's final 14 games (including Tuesday's loss at Virginia) come against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25. - Wake's schedule, according to College RPI.com, is the most difficult in the ACC. - In November and December, Wake Forest played four nationally-ranked teams. The last time the Deacs played four ranked opponents before Jan. 1 came in the 1953-54 season. - Wake is in the middle of a three-game stretch against top 10 teams -- at No. 10 Virginia (86-74 loss Tuesday night), at No. 1 Duke (Saturday) and vs. No. 3 Maryland (Wednesday). More on that below. - The last time Wake played three consecutive ranked teams came in 1994-95. - The last time the Deacons played three straight top 10-ranked teams came in 1985-86. Below is a list of Wake's three-game stretches against ranked teams since 1985-86.
2001-02 Jan. 15 at #10 Virginia L, 74-86 Jan. 19 at #1 Duke 1:00 p.m. Jan. 23 vs. #3 Maryland 7:30 p.m.
1994-95 Jan. 11 vs. #11 Duke W, 74-64 Jan. 14 at #9 Maryland L, 66-76 Jan. 17 at #22 Georgia Tech L, 65-67
1991-92 Feb. 1 at #23 Florida State L, 78-79 Feb. 3 vs. #14 Tulane W, 69-66 Feb. 8 at #9 North Carolina L, 78-80
1990-91 Feb. 10 vs. #11 Virginia W, 74-66 Feb. 13 at #8 North Carolina L, 70-85 Feb. 16 vs. #5 Duke W, 86-77
1988-89 Jan. 18 at #15 NC State L, 64-82 Jan. 21 vs. #1 Duke W, 75-71 Jan. 25 vs. #7 North Carolina L, 74-88
1987-88 Jan. 20 vs. #20 NC State W, 71-67 Jan. 23 vs. #9 Duke L, 70-103 Jan. 28 vs. #3 North Carolina W, 83-80
1986-87 Jan. 15 at #17 NC State L, 67-75 Jan. 17 at #14 Duke L, 49-69 Jan. 22 vs. #2 North Carolina L, 53-79
1985-86 Jan. 8 at #5 Georgia Tech L, 58-72 Jan. 11 vs. #1 North Carolina L, 65-89 Jan. 16 at #3 Duke L, 63-92
The Skip Prosser Era In Full Swing At Wake Forest
Skip Prosser, who previously served as the head coach at Loyola (MD) and Xavier, is beginning his first season at Wake Forest. His record at Wake Forest is 13-4. His career record, in nine seasons, is 178-82. Prosser comes to Winston-Salem after serving seven seasons as the head coach at Xavier, where he compiled a record of 148-65 (.695) and led the Musketeers to six postseason appearances. A 1972 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Prosser's teams won 20 games or more six times in seven years at Xavier. He has the 18th-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches and he helped Xavier earn one of the nation's highest graduation rates. Joining Prosser on the coaching staff are former Xavier assistants Jeff Battle and Dino Gaudio and former Musketeer players Chris Mack (assistant coach) and Pat Kelsey (director of basketball operations).
Winningest Active Division I Coaches Rk. Coach, Current School Pct. 1. Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State .802 2. John Kresse, Charleston .801 3. Roy Williams, Kansas .800 4. Rick Majerus, Utah .742 4. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse .742 6. Rick Pitino, Louisville .739 7. Lute Olson, Arizona .738 8. Tom Izzo, Michigan State .736 8. Bob Huggins, Cincinnati .736 10. John Chaney, Temple .734 11. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke .731 12. Nolan Richardson, Arkansas .721 13. Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State .716 14. John Calipari, Memphis .712 15. Tubby Smith, Kentucky .711 16. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut .682 17. Mike Montgomery, Stanford .680 18. Skip Prosser, Wake Forest .679 19. Larry Eustachy, Iowa State .673 20. Billy Tubbs, TCU .672 *Entering the 2001-02 season
Prosser Has Two Wins Vs. No. 1 Wake Forest's Skip Prosser has coached against the nation's No. 1-ranked team three times and he has come away a winner twice. Prosser's Xavier teams beat No. 1 Cincinnati in 1999-00 and in 1996-97. His only loss to a No. 1-ranked team was an overtime decision to No. 1 Massachusetts in 1995-96. Prosser, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Maryland's Gary Williams are the only current Atlantic Coast Conference coaches to own more than one victory against a No. 1-ranked team. Wake plays at No. 1 Duke on Saturday.
Prosser Enjoying Success In First Season At Wake
Wake Forest first-year coach Skip Prosser is trying to accomplish what no other first-year coach in Deacon history has done since 1927 -- produce a winning season. With four more victories this season, Prosser will become the first rookie coach at Wake Forest to earn a winning record since James Baldwin led the Deacons to a 22-3 record in his first season in 1927. Prosser, in fact, has already earned more wins in his initial season than any other first-year Deacon coach, with the exception of Baldwin. By beating North Carolina 84-62 on Jan. 5, Prosser became the first Deac first-year coach to win in Chapel Hill since R.S. Hayes in 1926.
Coaches In First Season At WFU Coach (Season) Thru 16 Games Final Record Skip Prosser (2002) 13-4 ? Dave Odom (1990) 7-9 12-16 Bob Staak (1986) 6-10 8-21 Carl Tacy (1973) 9-7 12-15 Jack McCloskey (1967) 7-9 9-18 Jack Murdock (1966) 5-11 8-18 Bones McKinney (1958) 5-11 6-17
Deacons Find Comfort Zone In Lawrence Joel Coliseum
Wake Forest is making Lawrence Joel Coliseum an unfriendly place for visitors. The Deacons own a nine-game homecourt winning streak and are putting up big numbers within the friendly confines. Wake averages more than 86 points per game and shoots nearly 51 percent at home. The Deacs aren't bad on the road either. Wake is 3-3 in road games and 1-1 on neutral courts.
Comparing Wake At Home And On Road Category Home Road Neutral Record 9-0 3-3 1-1 Scoring Average 86.1 76.2 64.5 Opponent Scoring Average 66.4 72.7 67.5 Scoring Margin +19.7 +3.5 - 3.0 Field Goal Percentage 50.5 44.8 39.7 3-Point Field Goal Percentage 36.4 32.8 30.0 Free Throw Percentage 74.3 70.4 61.9 Assists Average 18.0 14.5 16.5 Blocks Average 6.5 5.0 3.5
Songaila Gaining Reputation As Clutch Performer
Senior Darius Songaila is the type of player who wants the ball in his hands at crunch time. And almost each time, the results have been great for Wake Forest: - Songaila hit a lay-up with 2.7 seconds remaining to lift Wake Forest to a 79-78 win over UNC-Wilmington in the season opener. - Nov. 21 against Fresno State, Songaila's follow tip with 1.7 seconds left gave the Deacons a 62-61 win over the Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden. - Songaila's two free throws with 3:37 remaining broke a 57-57 tie with 19th-ranked Marquette on Dec. 29. The Deacons led the rest of the way en route to a 64-59 win over the Golden Eagles. - Senior Darius Songaila Enjoying An All-ACC-Type Season Perhaps senior Darius Songaila is motivated because he was left off the preseason All-ACC team, or maybe he's flourishing in coach Skip Prosser's system. Regardless, Songaila is enjoying his finest season as a Deacon. Songaila ranks among the ACC leaders in eight different statistical categories. More on Songaila: - He ranks seventh in the ACC in scoring (16.6 points per game). - Songaila has scored in double figures in every game but one this season and he has scored in double figures 89 times in his career. - He ranks fourth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.829) and he has shot 87.4 percent (83-of-95) from the line over the last 12 games combined. - His career free throw percentage (.823) is the sixth-highest in Wake Forest history. - Songaila is second on the team and ranks seventh in the ACC in rebounding (7.4 rpg.). - He ranks 16th in Wake Forest history with 657 career rebounds and will move into 15th place with five more boards. - He ranks ninth in Wake Forest history with 88 career blocked shots. - He ranks ninth in the ACC this season in blocked shots (1.12). - Songaila has six double-doubles this season. Only Virginia's Travis Watson (8), Clemson's Ray Henderson (7) and Duke's Carlos Boozer (7) have more. Songaila owns 14 career double-doubles. - He ranks fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.520). - He ranks 15th in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,535 points. - Songaila is just the ninth player in Wake history with 1,500 points and 600 rebounds. - Only five players in school history have made more free throws than Songaila (484) and only six players have attempted more free throws (589). - He has scored 20 or more points in a game 14 times, including four times this season. - He ranks 14th in the ACC in steals (1.41). - He ranks 14th in the ACC in assists (2.76). Songaila and North Carolina's Jason Capel are the only frontcourt players to rank among the top 15. - Songaila was named to the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team after his performances against Fresno State and Syracuse.
Where Songaila Ranks In The ACC Free Throw Percentage 4th (.829) Field Goal Percentage 5th (.520) Defensive Rebounds 6th (5.65) Scoring 7th (16.6) Rebounding 7th (7.4) Blocked Shots 9th (1.12) Steals 14th (1.41) Assists 14th (2.76)
Josh Howard One Of The ACC's Most Versatile Players
All you need to know about junior Josh Howard's athleticism and versatility is that at 6-6, he leads the ACC in offensive rebounds. Howard also ranks among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, steals and blocked shots. And since mid-December, Howard has been Wake's most consistent performer. More on Howard: - Since Dec. 19 (the last eight games), Howard has averaged 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. - Nearly half of Howard's 137 rebounds have come on the offensive boards (64). - He is second on the team and 13th in the ACC in scoring (14.1 ppg.). - He ranks sixth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.508). - Only five players in the ACC have more double-doubles this season than Howard (four). - Just a junior, Howard will soon become the 41st player in Wake Forest history to score 1,000 career points (he has 967 career points). - He ranks 10th in the ACC in steals (1.59 spg.). - Howard ranks 10th among Wake's all-time leaders in steals with 129. - Howard ranks 12th in the ACC in blocked shots (1.00 bspg.). - He ranks among Wake's all-time leaders in blocked shots (82).
Josh Howard's Last Eight Games Opponent PTS REB FG-A BS vs. St. Francis 21 6 9-11 0 at St. John's 15 10 6-12 1 vs. Marquette 10 11 3-11 1 vs. Richmond 16 12 7-13 2 at North Carolina 20 9 9-15 1 at Navy 14 7 6-13 1 vs. Clemson 16 7 6-14 2 at Virginia 19 8 6-16 2
Where Howard Ranks In The ACC Offensive Rebounds 1st (3.76) Field Goal Percentage 6th (.508) Rebounding 6th (8.1) Steals 10th (1.59) Defensive Rebounds 11th (4.29) Blocked Shots 12th (1.00) Scoring 13th (14.1)
Scott, The ACC's Top Shot-Blocker, Slowed By Dislocated Finger
Senior Antwan Scott, in his first year as a starter, is making the most of his final season. He has nearly doubled his statistics from a year ago, easily making him one of the ACC's most improved players. Scott is not at 100 percent. He suffered a severely dislocated middle finger on his non-shooting (left) hand in Tuesday's game against Virginia. He will wear a splint for up to two weeks. Consider: - He leads the ACC in blocked shots (1.82 per game). Tim Duncan, who led the ACC in blocks for four seasons (from 1994-97), is the only player in WFU history to lead the ACC in blocks. - Scott ranks second on the team in minutes played (28.7). - His field goal percentage (.568) would be the third-highest in the ACC, but he does not have the minimum number of field goals made to qualify. - He ranks 23rd in the ACC in scoring (10.6 ppg.) and 17th in rebounding (5.4 rpg.). - Scott ranks fifth on Wake Forest's all-time blocked shots list with 124 career rejections. - He has scored in double figures 11 times this season. - He has shot better than 50 percent from the field in 13 of 17 games this season.
Antwan Scott This Season Last Season Minutes Per Game 28.7 16.2 Points Per Game 10.6 6.8 Rebounds Per Game 5.4 3.6 Field Goal Percentage 56.8 48.7 Blocks Per Game 1.9 1.3
Freshman Downey Enjoying The New Year
In November and December, freshman guard Taron Downey was a solid reserve in the Deacon backcourt. But in January, the rookie point guard has been one of the ACC's top freshmen. Downey began January by pulling down a career-high six rebounds Jan. 2 against Richmond. He followed that with three assists in a career-high 19 minutes Jan. 5 at North Carolina.On Jan. 7 at Navy, he erupted for a career-high 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range. He has nine three-point field goals on the season and five of those have come over the last three games.
Taron Downey Category First 12 Games Last 5 Games Minutes Per Game 6.8 17.4 Points Per Game 1.7 5.8 Three-Point Field Goals 0.3 1.0 Rebounds 0.5 2.8 Assists 0.7 1.4
Downtown Dawson One Of ACC's Most Prolific 3-Point Shooters Senior Craig Dawson continues to prove why he is one of the nation's most dangerous perimeter shooters. Dawson ranks among the ACC leaders in three-point field goals (48) and in three-point field goal percentage (.414). Over his last three games, Dawson has made 12 three-point field goals. More on Dawson: - He has made at least one three-point field goal in every game this season and he has made at least two three-pointers in every game but three. - Dawson has made three or more three-pointers in a game eight times this season, 28 times in his career. - He ranks fourth in Wake Forest history with 203 career three-point field goals. - He ranks 22nd in ACC history for career three-point field goals. - Dawson ranks 19th in the ACC in scoring (11.7 ppg.). - He ranks 30th in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,120 points.
Lepore Beginning To Find Touch Steve Lepore has turned his game up a notch in January. The junior transfer from Northwestern is beginning to get his confidence back after struggling at times in November and December. January began quietly enough with a 7-point, 2-assist effort in the win over Richmond Jan. 2. But Jan. 5 at North Carolina, Lepore came off the bench for WFU career-highs of 15 points, seven rebounds, three 3-point field goals and 22 minutes played. Lepore is proving to be a solid rebounder from the guard position. Over the last four games he has averaged 5.0 rebounds per game.
Steve Lepore Category First 12 Games Last 5 Games Minutes Per Game 10.8 17.6 Points Per Game 3.7 6.6 Three-Point Field Goals 0.8 1.0 Rebounds 2.0 4.6 Assists 1.0 1.4
Vytas Danelius Emerging As One Of The ACC's Top Freshmen
Freshman forward Vytas Danelius, who was a highly-touted recruit last year, has many skills. But the rookie's best talent is simply putting the ball in the basket. Not that Danelius is a huge scorer -- he's averaging 6.3 points per game (the most of any non-starting Deacon) and he has scored in double figures just four times. But when Danelius shoots, it usually goes in. Danelius is shooting 62.9 percent from the field, which leads the team but does not qualify for the ACC rankings because he doesn't have enough field goal attempts. More impressively, Danelius has shot less than 50 percent in a game just twice this season and he has yet to shoot below 40 percent in a game (not counting the Navy game when he went 0-for-0). More on Danelius: - Last Saturday against Clemson, he recorded his first career double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). - His 13 rebounds against the Tigers were the most single-game rebounds by any Deacon player this season. - He started the second half of Tuesday's Virginia game as senior starter Antwan Scott sat briefly with a finger injury. - His numbers in ACC games (7.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game) are higher than his stats in non-league games.
Vytas Danelius Category First 12 Games Last 5 Games Minutes Per Game 14.1 18.4 Points Per Game 6.0 7.0 Double-Figure Scoring 2 2 Free Throw Percentage 60.9 62.5 Rebounds Per Game 3.6 5.4 Total Turnovers 11 0 Total Steals 2 3
Senior Class' Accomplishments Continue To Grow
With five fourth-year seniors on its roster, including four seniors in the starting lineup, Wake Forest has one of the ACC's most experienced groups. Four of Wake's top five scorers -- Darius Songaila (16.6 ppg.), Craig Dawson (11.7 ppg.), Antwan Scott (10.6 ppg.) and Broderick Hicks (8.8 ppg.) -- are all seniors. Seniors lead Wake in basically every statistical category. Those five seniors -- Songaila, Dawson, Hicks, Ervin Murray and Scott -- have enjoyed much success over the last four years. Consider: - Wake's senior class has appeared in postseason play every season, including an NCAA Tournament appearance last season. - Over the last four seasons, Wake Forest is a combined 71-43 (.623). The Class of 2002 is trying to become the seventh senior class to win 80 games or more over four seasons. - The seniors have been a part of three wins over teams ranked in the top 10. - In 2001, Wake Forest won the postseason NIT championship. - The five seniors have combined to play in 558 career games.
