Wake Wastes Wisconsin, 67-48
Songaila's 16 points lead Deacs past Badgers.
Nov. 30, 1999
Box Score
By JOE MACENKA
AP Sports Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Darius Songaila had 16 points and six rebounds
and Wake Forest combined overpowering defense and rebounding for a 67-48
victory over Wisconsin on Tuesday night.
The Demon Deacons (4-0) held Wisconsin to 38-percent shooting and had a
40-24 rebounding edge in what was one of nine games being staged over two days
in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Wake Forest's Carig Dawson added 12 points, and the Demon Deacons also got
11 from Robert O'Kelley and eight points, seven rebounds and two steals from
Niki Arinze.
Mark Vershaw had 14 points for the Badgers (3-2) in their first-ever game on
an ACC team's home floor. It turned out to be a forgettable experience for
Wisconsin, which fell behind by as many as 22 in the second half.
The game was similar to the Badgers' last visit to North Carolina, a
first-round loss to Southwest Missouri State in the NCAA tournament at the
Charlotte Coliseum in March. Wisconsin scored just 32 points in that game, the
lowest output in any NCAA tournament contest since the introduction of the shot
clock in 1986.
The Badgers were held to 12 first-half points in Charlotte, and they did
only slightly better Tuesday night. Wake Forest led 32-14 after a first half in
which the Demon Deacons had a 22-11 rebounding edge and converted seven
Wisconsin turnovers into 10 points.
Wake Forest set the tone immediately, harassing the Badgers into three
turnovers and misses on 12 of their first 14 field-goal attempts, most of which
were hurried perimeter jumpers as the shot clock was about to expire.
The Demon Deacons' early work on the defensive end gave them an eight-point
lead 12 minutes into the contest. They pulled away from there, closing the half
with a 10-0 run that featured four points apiece from O'Kelley and Dawson.
Wisconsin cut its deficit to 11 points twice in the second half, the last at
36-25 on a fast-break layup by Julian Swartz. But Wake Forest answered with a
10-4 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Dawson that made it 46-29 with 12:02 left.
