Wake Forest University
Temple
Wake Forest Tops Temple, 83-76
12/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec 1, 2002
Final Stats?|? Quotes?|? Notes
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Eric Williams has been hard on himself since a pair of mediocre exhibition games and some struggles in practice.
The freshman center took it out on Temple.
Williams scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, helping spark a key second-half run in his second collegiate game to help Wake Forest beat the Owls 83-76 Sunday night.
"Coach pulled me aside and told me I had to get my head together," said Williams, who played just 26 minutes. "He said, `This isn't high school. This is the ACC.' It really made me think about what I have to do to get it done."
The 6-foot-9, 270-pound Williams was 8-for-11 from the field, while Vytas Danelius added 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds as the Demon Deacons (2-0) dominated the Owls on the glass 51-36.
Josh Howard was the third Wake Forest starter to notch a double-double, getting 16 points and 11 rebounds.
"Eric is maturing and he's learning the game," Howard said. "He showed what he could do tonight. I can't wait to see him grow as a player even more."
Coach Skip Prosser said the transition from high school to college can often be more difficult than usual for a player as large as Williams.
"He's going from being the biggest kid on the floor all the time - sort of a man-among-boys - to where he's a kid playing against a lot of men," Prosser said. "But he's a willing listener and he's got a chance to be an excellent player."
 Eric Williams, right, is fouled by Temple's Antywane Robinson.  | |
David Hawkins led Temple (0-2), starting the first of a school-record six-game road trip, with 20 points before fouling out with 4:06 remaining.
Wake Forest won despite poor shooting from starting guards Justin Grey and Taron Downey, who were a combined 2-for-12 from 3-point range against Temple's matchup zone defense.
"The zone was tight, but coach came up with a plan to break it down," Williams said. "We had Josh in the middle and we were able to pass the ball around."
Temple, with three freshmen starters, had trouble shooting for a second straight game, missing 20 of its first 29 shots after hitting just 35.7 percent in a season-opening loss a week ago against Rutgers.
"I don't need to look at the stat sheet to know they beat us on the offensive boards," said Temple coach John Chaney. "Having three freshmen on the floor is a big problem. If I had a choice I would put knowledge out there, but that knowledge has no talent."
Temple made 15 3-pointers and had just eight turnovers, but its defense was not up to snuff.
"Turnovers have been my mark, my credence," Chaney said. "That kept us in the game and made us feel we could come back, but we had no stops - none.
"Kids have to learn what easy baskets are. They drove down the middle like they owned us from the beginning and that really goes to my heart. I almost had a heart attack at halftime. Working with freshmen can give it to you."
Wake Forest turned it over just four times in the first half, but coughed it up on its first three possessions of the second half as the Owls closed to 44-36 after trailing by 14 at the intermission.
Freshman Antywane Robinson, who started 0-for-5, sank four 3-pointers in the opening 7:26 of the second period to keep Temple within striking distance.
But Williams and Howard keyed a two-minute spurt that pushed an 8-point lead to 17 with 7:26 left.
Jamaal Levy started the 12-3 run with a 3-pointer, while Williams had two slam dunks and Howard a 3-pointer and a 10-foot jumper.
Howard and Williams were also key players for the Demon Deacons in the opening 20 minutes.
Howard scored seven of Wake Forest's first nine points, while Williams had two free throws and a follow shot during a 10-0 run that gave the Demon Deacons a 34-22 lead 3:51 before the break.
Alex Wesby kept Temple within 14 points at the half with 13 points and eight rebounds. The rest of the Owls were a combined 6-for-24 in the opening 20 minutes.
Wesby finished with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
"I was most thrilled with the 22 assists and the fact that we shared the basketball as well as we did," Prosser said.
