Wake Whips Wahoos, 89-70

Adrian Joseph scored 19 points in his first start.

Playing without its leading scorer, the No. 25 Virginia men’s basketball team was outgunned by No. 5 Wake Forest in an 89-70 loss tonight at University Hall. The Cavaliers were also badly outrebounded and outhustled while dropping their ACC opener for the 10th straight year.

It was an inauspicious start to what is sure to be a brutal ACC schedule for UVa, which fell to 8-2 overall. The Demon Deacons, the preseason No. 1 team in the country, improved to 12-1 in winning their seventh straight game and prevailed at U-Hall for the first time in five years.

“I thought it was our best game of the year against a quality opponent in an always-tough venue,” said Wake coach Skip Prosser, whose team may boast the nation’s top offensive arsenal.

Sophomore point guard Chris Paul had 21 points and nine assists to lead six Demon Deacons in double figures. Justin Gray scored 17 points and Eric Williams finished with 15 points and 10 boards. Wake shot 51 percent from the field, 56 percent from 3-point range.

J.R. Reynolds made three 3-pointers and had 17 points.

Freshman forward Adrian Joseph scored 19 points in his first start in place of Devin Smith, who suffered a high ankle sprain Dec. 23 vs. Loyola Marymount. J.R. Reynolds had 17 points and Gary Forbes scored 13, but they didn’t get enough help. Elton Brown struggled to score eight points, missing nine of 12 field-goal attempts and five of seven free throws. Sean Singletary scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

“They have a lot of great players,” Singletary said. “We just didn’t respond well to their runs.”

The Cavs stayed close for a half thanks largely to Joseph, who made three 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the first 17 minutes. Wake led 42-37 at the break, then went on a 13-0 run early in the second half to break the game open. Gray had a 3-point play and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions as the Deacons went up 57-39.

Virginia immediately scored nine straight points, five by Reynolds, to draw within nine. But Wake shot too well and pounded the Wahoos on the glass. The Deacs owned a 45-28 rebounding edge, including 28-12 in the second half. In a physical game that included several minor skirmishes, though no punches were thrown, Wake made twice as many free throws as UVa and gradually pulled away.

Gray’s 3-pointer capped off an 8-0 run that gave the Deacons a 75-59 lead with 7:57 remaining. Virginia didn’t get closer than 14 the rest of the way.

  • Boxscore


    (For complete coverage of the Cavaliers, please sign up for Sabre Edge. Edge subscribers can read John Galinsky’s postgame analysis and listen to audio of Coach Gillen, Wake coach Skip Prosser and J.R. Reynolds.)