Basketball Game Notes - Wake Forest vs. Elon
12/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - With fall semester final exams in the rear view mirror, Wake Forest is set to host in-state rival Elon on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem. The game will be available on the Wake Forest ISP Sports Radio Network.
The Demon Deacons, who had last week off to focus on final exams, are 5-2 following their impressive 77-75 win at No. 17-ranked Gonzaga last weekend in Spokane. Wake Forest handed the Bulldogs just their fourth loss in 69 games at The Kennel.
Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart led the way for the Deacs, scoring 19 and 17 points respectively. Harris, who was named the ACC Co-Rookie of the Week on Monday, made 13-of-15 free throws, while Stewart was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Ishmael Smith came close to a triple-double against the Zags, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Harris, who has led the Deacons in scoring in four straight games, is averaging 13.1 points per game and is shooting 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the field this season. He made his first career start at Gonzaga.
Elon comes in at 3-6 overall and 1-1 in Southern Conference play this season. The Phoenix are coming off an 82-63 conference win at Chattanooga on Wednesday. Elon is led by first-year head coach Matt Matheny.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series with Elon, 35-6. The Deacons have won 23 straight in the series, dating back to the 1921-22 season. This will be the team's seventh meeting since 2001-02 and first since 2006-07.
Smith Chasing Childress on Career Assists List
Ishmael Smith is on the verge of passing Randolph Childress for fifth place on the school's career list. Smith enters the Elon game with 465 career assists, putting him seven assists behind Childress (1991-95) for fifth place.
Next Up...
Wake Forest will hit the road for a rare road game at UNC Wilmington on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Deacons have not played at UNCW's Trask Coliseum in 21 years. Wake opens ACC play next Sunday by hosting rival NC State at 7:45 p.m.
