Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem State
Wake Forest Takes Down Winston-Salem State, 76-52
11/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2009
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - It was a game for the guards as Wake Forest point guard Ishmael Smith and shooting guard C.J. Harris each led the Deacons with 16 points en route to a 76-52 win over cross-town rival Winston-Salem State on Tuesday night.
Wake Forest improves to 4-0 with the win, while Rams are now 1-4 on the year.
Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart had their best performances to date. Harris had five rebounds in addition to his 16-point tally and was perfect in the first half - 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Stewart had 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
"We had a comfortable lead where we could keep Ari and C.J. out there on the floor for us. We had the opportunity to lead those guys, let them get some experience because we are really going to need them as we go through the season," said Wake Forest head coach Dino Guadio.
Brian Fisher led the Rams with 12 points and Paul Davis added seven rebounds off the bench.
Wake Forest sophomore center Tony Woods had career-highs of four blocks and six rebounds, adding to the Deacons nearly impenetrable frontcourt defense.
Wake Forest stifled the Rams in the paint, recording 44 inside to WSSU's 18, with most of those paint points coming off Demon Deacon fast breaks.
"We really had an advantage in the transition game. We really pushed the ball well and converted pretty well on the break," said Gaudio.
Winston-Salem State got the opening tip and took the opening shot, but Ishmael Smith picked up the rebound and teamed up with Al-Farouq Aminu, who went airborne for a dunk to get things rolling for the Deacons 15 seconds into the game.
The Rams stayed close to the Deacons in the opening minutes. A pair of free throws from Lamar Monger tied the score at 15-15 at the 12:42 mark. Then the Rams went cold, going 0-for-7 from the floor and staying scoreless under the Deacon defense for just under six minutes. The Deacons took advantage and went on a 16-0 run, propelled by Aminu who netted eight points for Wake Forest during the stretch.
"We went into a five, six minute spurt where we couldn't score and didn't score. They capitalized on that," Winston-Salem State head coach Bobby Collins said.
Freshman guard Marcus Wells ended the WSSU dry spell with a jumper seven minutes before halftime. In the final minutes the Rams landed three back-to-back baskets to cut the Wake Forest lead to 36-25, but Tony Woods and C.J. Harris each grabbed a couple of defensive rebounds to keep the possession largely in Wake Forest's favor as the clock expired. Smith threw up a layup to set the halftime score at 41-25 in the final second of the first half.
The Demon Deacons continued to build up a solid lead during the start of the second half. At 12:58 Smith banked a three-point basket to put Wake Forest in front by 22 points (55-33). On the next Winston-Salem State possession Fisher had his pocked picked by David Weaver and hit the floor during the transition. Fisher remained on the ground at half court and watched in frustration as Ari Stewart flew up the lane for a dunk and Wake Forest went ahead by 24 points.
Weaver picked up an offensive rebound from an Stewart 3-point attempt and landed the follow up layup to put WFU in front 72-43 with 4:26 to play.
Winston-Salem State then cleared its bench. A layup from Lamar Monger with just under a minute to play set the final score at 76-52.
Wake Forest will wrap up its three-game homestand on Saturday night, hosting William & Mary at 7 p.m.
