Wake Forest University
Richmond
Wake Forest Edges Richmond 74-68 in Overtime
12/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2009
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
| Final Stats in PDF Format 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Chas McFarland and L.D. Williams each recorded double-doubles and Al-Farouq Aminu scored eight points in overtime to lead Wake Forest to a thrilling 74-68 overtime win against Richmond on New Year's Eve in the Joel Coliseum.
Wake Forest, which has won six straight games, improved to 10-2 with the victory, while Richmond dropped to 10-4.
The game was a seesaw battle throughout. The two teams traded the lead 15 times, while there were 20 ties.
With the game tied at 65 with 2:24 left in overtime, Wake Forest scored nine of the next 12 points to claim the win. Al-Farouq Aminu scored six of the Deacs' nine points during the run, including three clutch free throws in the final 13 seconds to put the game away. A three from Ari Stewart with 19 seconds left gave Wake a five point lead, the largest advantage for either team during the extra period.
Aminu scored a team-high 16 points, eight of those coming in overtime, and also brought down eight rebounds. McFarland and Williams each notched double-doubles. McFarland had 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Williams scored 10 points and brought down 10 rebounds. Ishmael Smith added 13 points and a game-high seven assists.
Kevin Anderson led the Spiders with a career-high 31 points. Justin Harper was the only other Richmond player in double figures, scoring 10 points.
Neither team shot the ball well from the field. Wake Forest shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the floor, while Richmond was just a tad batter, making 40.7 percent (24-of-59) of its shots.
The Spiders made 6-of-24 threes in the contest. After starting the game 5-of-7 from behind the arc, Richmond made just one of their next 17 treys. Wake Forest was 3-of-17 from three-point land.
The Demon Deacons had a commanding advantage at the foul line, making 29-of-40 from the charity stripe, compared to 14-of-21 for Richmond.
Wake Forest posted a 48-32 advantage on the boards, including a 16-7 edge on the offensive glass.
Richmond grabbed the first substantial lead of the game at 20-12 with 12:21 left in the first half. The Spiders capped a 9-2 run with five straight points from Anderson, including a three pointer that forced a Demon Deacon timeout.
Wake Forest responded after the timeout with four straight points, both on offensive rebounds. Smith converted the first, while McFarland cut the lead back to four on his layup with 11:21 left in the half.
After Richmond extended the lead to 27-19 with 7:12 left in the opening stanza, the Wake Forest defense took control, holding the Spiders scoreless for the next 6:35. The Demon Deacons tied the game at 29 entering the half after Aminu finished an alley-oop from Smith.
The two teams again came out of the locker rooms fairly even in the second half, but Wake Forest was able to grab a four point lead with 15:45 left in regulation. McFarland completed a three-point play to put the Deacs in front by one and Smith followed with a thunderous dunk to make the score 38-35. McFarland completed the run by making 1-of-2 free throws.
After Richmond went on a 6-2 run to make the score 41-40 with 13:11 left in the game, Wake Forest scored the next six points. Stewart's jumper from the right corner put the Demon Deacons on top and McFarland stretched the lead to three with a layup. David Weaver capped the run with a pair of free throws.
Trailing 46-41, Richmond scored the next 10 points to take a 51-46 lead with 9:08 left. Anderson put the Spiders back in the lead with a jumper and a three from Ryan Butler gave Richmond a five point edge.
The Demon Deacons again responded with a run of their own, scoring the next six. A three from Smith cut the lead to two and Aminu completed a three-point play to put Wake in front 52-51.
The two teams swapped baskets for much of the next six minutes as there were six ties and three lead changes during the period.
Richmond grabbed a two point lead with 1:36 left in the game. David Gonzalvez intercepted a pass from Smith and passed ahead to Anderson for a layup to make the score 62-60.
Wake Forest evened the game with 42 seconds left. Williams stripped Gonzalvez and found C.J. Harris down court for a fast break layup.
Wake Forest nearly ended the game in regulation. After a missed three by Richmond, Williams raced down court and attempted a desperation jumper from the right corner with 1.5 seconds left. McFarland grabbed the rebound underneath the basket and scored, but replay showed the put back occurred after time had expired.
Wake Forest closes non-conference play on Sunday when it hosts Xavier in the inaugural Skip Prosser Classic. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be televised nationally on FSN.
