Feb. 15, 2012
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – Travis McKie had 23 points and 11 rebounds to help Wake Forest beat Georgia Tech 59-50 on Wednesday night.
Tony Chennault added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Demon Deacons (12-14, 3-9 Atlantic Coast Conference), who ran off an 11-0 run in the final 6 1/2 minutes to go ahead for good in a matchup of the bottom two teams in the league standings. Wake Forest had lost six straight games by double-digit margins, but McKie helped the Demon Deacons take control in a tight contest.
The Demon Deacons shot just 33 percent but came through with key baskets that twice beat the shot clock during the decisive run. McKie scored the first seven points of the spurt, which gave Wake Forest an eight-point lead with about 2 1/2 minutes left.
Glen Rice Jr. scored 12 points to lead the Yellow Jackets (9-16, 2-9), who shot 37.3 percent (19 of 51).
Very little had gone right for the Demon Deacons since beating Virginia Tech 58-55 at home on Jan. 7. They had lost nine of 10 since, with the past six losses coming by an average margin of nearly 18 points per game. But despite blowing a seven-point halftime lead and trailing 41-38 with about seven minutes left, the Demon Deacons reversed their recent misery thanks largely to McKie.
First McKie hit a turnaround jumper in the lane that just beat the shot clock. Then he took a pass from freshman Chase Fischer and knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer, followed by a pair of free throws with 5:09 left that gave the Demon Deacons a 45-41 lead.
Chennault followed with a steal and layup, then 7-footer Ty Walker hit a long jumper from beyond the foul line to beat the shot clock and make it 49-41 with 2:42 left.
Wake Forest shot just 4-for-20 from 3-point range, but finished with a 42-32 rebounding advantage and a 17-11 edge in second-chance points.
C.J. Harris finished with just eight points for Wake Forest, snapping his run of 24 straight games with double-figure scoring totals.
The Yellow Jackets have lost eight of nine and 12 of 14 games.
