Wake Forest Falls To No. 5 Duke, 75-61
Robert O'Kelley leads men's hoops with 17 points in loss.
Jan. 22, 2000
Box Score
By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS
Associated Press Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Jason Williams wasn't at Duke when the Blue
Devils won the first 22 games of their Atlantic Coast Conference-record 28 game
regular-season winning streak.
But the freshman point guard excelled Saturday while Duke's veterans
struggled, scoring 19 points to lead the fifth-ranked Blue Devils to a 75-61
victory over Wake Forest.
"Jason Williams really had an amazing second half. He made really good
decisions on the break, whether to shoot or whether to pass," Duke coach Mike
Krzyzewski said.
Duke (15-2, 6-0) was ahead by two at halftime but shot only 34 percent and
couldn't break Wake Forest's defense in the paint. Chris Carrawell, the team's
leading scorer, only had seven points, and Shane Battier missed every attempt
from the floor.
The Demon Deacons (11-7, 2-4) took their last lead at 39-38 when Niki Arinze
grabbed a loose ball and made a fastbreak layup with 16:59 to go. Duke then
took control of the tempo and went on a 9-4 run in which Williams had three
field goals, the last a 3-pointer with 13:17 left.
Williams had five points, including a 3-pointer, in a 12-4 run that was
capped by Mike Dunleavy's layup with 3:58 left that gave Duke a 66-52 lead.
"I just know I'm more capable of doing more. I think I am improving and
becoming more comfortable on the court," Williams said. "I think I hunted my
shot a little more today. The past few games I have been rushing things."
Only Carrawell, a senior, and Battier and Nate James, both juniors, were on
the team when Duke's streak began. But the significance of the record was not
lost on the new players.
"We wanted to be part of that success," freshman center Carlos Boozer
said.
The Blue Devils last lost to an ACC opponent in the regular season on Feb.
5, 1998, to North Carolina. Duke's overtime win Wednesday over North Carolina
State had tied the ACC record, which was set by the Wolfpack from 1972-75.
"I'm sure they will make light of it at this moment, but I can tell you as
an opposing coach its quite an achievement," Wake Forest coach Dave Odom said.
The Deamon Deacons have lost five in a row to Duke.
The victory was Duke's 1,600th, and it joined Kentucky, North Carolina and
Kansas as the only schools with that many.
Battier had 15 points for Duke while James added 13, Carrawell had 11 and
Boozer 10.
Robert O'Kelley had 17 points for Wake Forest, which lost its third straight
conference game.
The Demon Deacons started strong and used their size inside to deny Duke
many chances in the paint. Wake Forest had a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the
game.
But Duke used a 16-4 run to tie the game 18-18 on a 3-pointer by Williams
with 9:21 left in the first half. Battier made two free throws late in the
first half to give Duke a 33-31 lead.
