Wake Forest University
UNC Wilmington
Wake Forest Holds Off UNC Wilmington, 80-69
12/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2009
Final Stats | Final Stats in PDF Format 
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Playing at UNC Wilmington's Trask Coliseum for the first time in 21 seasons, Wake Forest made the most of its rare trip to the beach on Wednesday, as the Demon Deacons handed the Seahawks an 80-69 setback.
With the win, Wake Forest moves to 7-2 on the season. UNC Wilmington drops to 4-6 on the year.
Four Deacons scored in double figures, led by L.D. Williams' career-high 23 points. Ishmael Smith (19 points), Al-Farouq Aminu (17) and C.J. Harris (11) joined Williams in double figures.
Aminu posted his ACC-leading sixth double-double this season, finishing with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Williams went 6-for-7 from the field and was 11-for-12 at the charity stripe. He went a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line in the final minute and a half of the game to help seal the win for Wake. Williams had 10 of his points in the first half, going 4-for-4 in the half.
Smith tied his career-high with 19 points, dished out a game-high five assists and added a career-high four steals on the night.
Harris was 4-for-7 from the field and had a pair of steals.
Chas McFarland pulled down seven rebounds, Williams had five boards and David Weaver came off the bench for four rebounds.
Wilmington native Ty Walker saw action in the second half in his return to the city where he starred at New Hanover High School.
Wake Forest shot 53.6 percent (30-of-56) from the field, including a 69.6 percent (16-of-23) mark in the first half.
The Deacons, who lead the ACC in rebounding, outrebounded the Seahawks, 42-36.
Wake committed 10 turnovers in the first half but settled down to finish with 16 for the game.
The Seahawks held the early lead in the first half, jumping out to a 14-10 advantage with just over 10 minutes to play in the stanza. The Deacons, however, used an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead, 18-14, at the 8:23 mark. L.D. Williams had six of the eight points during the run.
Wake Forest did not relinquish the lead the rest of the half, but UNCW was able to cut the deficit to one, 26-25, at the 3:36 mark. The Deacons responded with six straight points to re-take control.
Ari Stewart's three-pointer with 30 seconds to play in the first period gave Wake a 37-30 lead heading into the locker room.
The Deacons shot 69.6 percent (16-of-23) in the first half, which was Wake's best percentage for a half this season. The Seahawks shot just 37.9 percent (11-of-29) in the first half, including a 2-for-10 performance from beyond the arc.
Williams had 10 points in the first period to lead all scorers, while Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in eight points and four boards for the Deacs.
Wake Forest kept its momentum going to start the second half, scoring the first six points of the period to take a 43-30 advantage.
The Deacons increased their lead to 14, 53-39, with under 14 minutes to play, but the Seahawks refused to go away. UNCW used a 9-2 run over the next two minutes to cut the deficit to seven, 55-48. However, a bucket from Smith and a pair of free throws by Aminu stopped the run and put Wake back up by 11.
UNCW again cut Wake's lead to seven, 71-64, with under two minutes to play, as Ahmad Grant hit a three-pointer at the 1:39 mark.
After a free throw from Harris, the Seahawks' Chad Tomko nailed a long three to pull the home squad to within five, 72-67, at the 1:28 mark.
Williams followed with a pair of free throws, but Tomko came back down and hit a jumper to pull UNCW within five once again.
Williams responded by drilling two more free throws to put the Deacs back up by seven, 76-69. A UNCW turnover and another two free throws from Williams sealed the win for Wake Forest.
UNC Wilmington's leading scorer Tomko finished with a team-high 12 points despite missing most of the second half with foul trouble. John Fields added 11 for the Seahawks.
Wake Forest now holds a 12-0 lead in the all-time series with UNC Wilmington, including a 3-0 record at Trask Coliseum.
Wake Forest is back in action on Sunday when the Deacons open ACC play by hosting NC State at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem. The game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
