Wake Forest edges UTEP 82-79

Wake Forest found another way to win yesterday -- with its big men forced to the bench.

Guard Jeff Teague scored 29 points, two short of his career high, and made six consecutive free throws in the final 1:54 as the No. 19 Deacons overcome a serious -- and uncharacteristic -- rebounding deficit to hold off UTEP 82-79 in the semifinals of the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Teague had 11 of Wake Forest's final 15 points as the Deacons offset UTEP's 50-33 rebounding edge by shooting 54 percent from the field and 77 percent from the foul line. They were outrebounded this badly only one time last season.

"I thought it was a real character win. I thought we gutted it out and really hung together when they made their runs against us," Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest said.

"We did a good job of sharing the ball. The only thing I was disappointed in was the backboard. We are a better rebounding team than that. They got second and third shots. We'll get better than that."

UTEP guard Stefon Jackson had a game-high 31 points and 6-11 freshman Arnett Moultrie had 13 points and 13 rebounds, eight on the offensive end.

The Miners (3-2) had 24 second-chance points.

Wake Forest (5-0) will meet the winner of the Arizona State-Baylor game played late last night in the Sunday night final.

James Johnson had 18 points and Al-Farouq Aminu had 15 points and eight rebounds for Wake Forest, which had a 12-point lead with 10:12 remaining but didn't salt the game away until Aminu's defensive rebound with two seconds remaining.

Teague made two free throws -- he was 13 of 16 from the line -- for an 82-79 lead with 14 seconds remaining before Jackson's long, forced three from the left wing bounced off.

UTEP's Claude Britten got the rebound, but instead of pitching it back outside attempted a short put-back that missed, and Aminu was fouled after getting a rebound with two seconds remaining.

Aminu missed both foul shots but UTEP's desperation halfcourt shot wasn't close.

"We pulled through at the end," said Teague, who finished two points short of his career high set on Nov. 19 against UNC Wilmington.

"Everybody stepped up. Farouq got a key rebound at the end. If they would have gotten that offensive board, we could still be playing right now. We played hard at the end."

The Deacons played without starting post man Chas McFarland and freshman backup Tony Woods for long stretches because of foul trouble.

McFarland played 11 minutes and Woods played 21. McFarland, who finished with two points, picked up his third and fourth fouls within 32 seconds early in the second half, and fouled out after being on the floor for one second after reentering with 6:35 remaining.

Woods had four fouls, and 6-9 Johnson was the Deacons' tallest player on the floor at times.

Not that foul trouble is an excuse for losing the rebounding battle, Gaudio said.

"I don't think rebounding has anything to do with size. I think it has to do with positioning, about putting your body on somebody and boxing them out," Gaudio said.

Johnson made 8 of his 13 field goals and Aminu was 5 of 7 as the Deacons recovered from their worst shooting game of the season -- 45.8 percent in a first-round win against Cal State-Fullerton -- with their fourth game of more than 50 percent.

The Deacons showed off a running game in the first half, when 12 of their 15 baskets were either layups or dunks. Their first three baskets in the second half also were layups. Teague's three-pointer with 14:12 remaining was their first three.

"We're really good when we pitch it ahead. We are really good," Gaudio said.

WAKE FOREST -- Aminu 5-7 5-7 15, Johnson 8-13 2-3 18, McFarland 1-4 0-0 2, Teague 7-14 13-16 29, Williams 2-6 0-1 4, Clark 1-2 0-0 2, Hale 1-2 0-0 3, Smith 0-0 2-2 2, Weaver 1-1 0-0 2, Woods 2-3 1-1 5. Totals 28-52 23-30 82.

UTEP -- Moultrie 4-11 3-5 13, Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Culpepper 6-24 3-3 15, Stone 0-3 2-2 2, Jackson 9-23 13-14 31, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Ffrench 0-0 0-0 0, Portalatin 0-0 0-0 0, Gordon 2-4 0-0 5, McCulley 1-5 0-0 3, Britten 5-8 0-3 10. Totals 27-79 21-27 79.

Halftime--Wake Forest 42-33. 3-Point Goals--Wake Forest 3-10 (Teague 2-4, Hale 1-2, Williams 0-1, Aminu 0-1, Johnson 0-2), UTEP 4-21 (Moultrie 2-4, Gordon 1-2, McCulley 1-3, Jackson 0-2, Stone 0-2, Culpepper 0-8). Rebounds--Wake Forest 33 (Aminu 8), UTEP 50 (Moultrie 13). Assists--Wake Forest 14 (Teague 6), UTEP 8 (Stone 6). Total Fouls--Wake Forest 24, UTEP 23. A--NA.