WINSTON-SALEM — Junior guard Ike Smith connected on two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining to lift Georgia Southern to an 85-83 victory over Wake Forest on Friday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Smith buried a 3-pointer to knot the score at 83 with 2:11 remaining as part of his 18-point outing. Junior guard Tookie Brown scored a team-high 22 points, senior guard Mike Hughes added 18 and junior forward Montae Glenn contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Eagles (1-0).
Junior guard Keyshawn Woods scored 25 points and junior guard Chaundee Brown added 21 for Wake Forest (0-1). Junior guard Bryant Crawford scored 19 points and sophomore point guard Brandon Childress had nine assists, but the Demon Deacons committed 18 turnovers.
Hughes drained two 3-pointers as Georgia Southern opened the second half with an 8-2 run to tie the contest at 48.
The Demon Deacons scored seven of the next nine points to open a five-point lead, but the Eagles remained close and were within one point on two occasions. Georgia Southern finally inched ahead when Hughes drained a 3-pointer for an 80-79 advantage with 2:11 to play.
Wake Forest led by 12 points before the game was seven minutes old. Chaundee Brown’s layup increased the lead to 27-13 with 9:54 left in the half.
Georgia Southern made a strong push and pulled within 31-29 on Tookie Brown’s 3-pointer with 5:53 remaining. But the Demon Deacons answered with a 7-2 run and eventually took a 46-40 lead into the break.
