Hurricanes Down Demon Deacons, 79-71
Feb. 5, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – Melissa Knight’s 17 points led three other Miami players in double figures as the Hurricanes held off Wake Forest 79-71 on Sunday.
Tamara James-the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer at 20.6 points per game-added 15 points, and Lamese James and Renee Taylor had 13 points for Miami (15-7, 5-4).
Deirdre Naughton had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Demon Deacons (10-11, 2-7), who lost their fifth straight game as their overall record fell below .500 for the first time this season.
Corinne Groves added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Cotelia Bond-Young scored 15 points and Liz Strunk had 11 for Wake Forest, which only led once in Sunday’s game.
The Demon Deacons trailed by seven points midway through the first half before mounting a comeback, with Strunk’s four-point play putting Wake Forest up 21-20 with 9:20 left. But the Hurricanes responded with a 10-point run to regain the lead, going up 42-35 at the half.
Miami stretched its margin to 11 points in the opening five minutes of the second period, with Katie Hayek’s 3-pointer putting the Hurricanes up 53-42 with 15:55 left.
Wake Forest then mounted another rally, with Groves scoring seven of the Demon Deacons’ next 10 points to cut Miami’s lead to 53-52 with 13:05 remaining.
Wake Forest could not sustain the momentum and the Hurricanes began pulling away. Miami led by as many as 12 points, going ahead 71-59 when Knight hit a pair of free throws with 4:31 left.
