No. 2 Duke hands Wake worst home loss in 31 years

Winston salem, n.c. - Last year, when Wake Forest couldn't shoot, they could expect superstar senior Tim Duncan to pick up the slack. Without Duncan, the Demon Deacons appear to be lost.

The Deacons (8-6, 1-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) spent Wednesday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum setting records. Their 52-88 loss to the Blue Devils ranks as the Deacon's worst loss since 1983 and their worst home loss since 1967.

But the Deacons' shortcomings cannot all be blamed on Duncan's departure. True, the team is struggling to find a new leader among their remaining players. But Duke's suffocating defense caused the Deacons endless headaches, forcing the deacons to shoot only 34 percent from the field and a shocking 22 percent from beyond the arc.

Shocking because coming into the game, Wake Forest led the ACC in three-point shooting at 40 percent. The Blue Devils recognized that before the game and decided their primary target should be leading Deacon scorers, freshman Robert O'Kelley and senior Tony Rutland.

"We tried to take O'Kelley out of the game and pushed up our defense pressure, " said Blue Devil sophomore Chris Carrawell. "We got the ball out of O'Kelley's hands and we got the ball out of Rutland's hands."

Once again, the in-your-face defensive responsibilities fell to Blue Devil senior Steve Wojciechowski, who frustrated Rutland enough to shoot 6-for-13 inside and 1-for-5 from three-point land.

"Playing against a guy like Wojo makes you do things that don't go along with your offense," Rutland said. "We got away from our game plan and they took advantage of that."

While denying the ball to O'Kelley and Rutland, the Blue Devils played a suffocating all-around defense that allowed the Deacons to make only four three-point baskets all night.

While the Blue Devils touted defense was the name of the game, the Deacons attributed their collapse mainly to a failure to execute.

"We really didn't play well," O'Kelley said. "We're just as good [as Duke] if we come out and execute and play good Wake Forest basketball."

Rutland agreed that while the Deacons were a flustered by Duke's defense, they should have been prepared to handle the pressure.

"We knew they were going to pressure up and deny us the ball," Rutland said. "We didn't take care of the ball, we didn't catch the ball, we didn't pass the ball right, and its those fundamental things that didn't happen."

Freshman Shane Battier came up with two steals that led directly to a pair of three pointers by Steve Wojciechowski while junior Taymon Domzalski, finding his game rhythm, blocked three Deacon shots. But each player avoided the limelight, attributing their success to a concerted team effort.

"We knew they were in a trap," Battier said. "Luckily I got a hand on the ball and went in hard. Wojo called for the ball and put in two great shots."

Domzalski, in turn, attributed the big plays to coaching and intensity.

"The guys came out tonight with a passion to play." he said. "We emphasize defense and rebounding. We're not worried about offense because we know that will come."

And the offense did come. The Blue Devils balanced their defensive efforts by spreading out the offensive duties. Duke finished with five players in double digits, with Carrawell topping the charts with 15 points for the evening.

While Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom gave the Blue Devils the nod for and outstanding game from start to finish, he attributed some of the Deacons' weaknesses to an under-par effort.

"We played somewhat afraid tonight, and I am a bit surprised at that. We will get better."