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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Harvey Hale scored 14 points and keyed the decisive run in Wake Forest's 74-61 victory against the University of South Florida on Wednesday night at Joel Lawrence Coliseum.
Reserve Jamie Skeen led the Demon Deacons (7-3) with 17 points. Jeff Teague had 11 points, fellow freshman James Johnson had 10 points and 13 rebounds and L.D. Williams also had 10 points.
Wake Forest never trailed, led by 21 and snapped the Bulls' seven-game winning streak by winning its second straight.
Dominique Jones and Jesus Verdejo both had 14 points, and Chris Howard and Kentrell Gransberry added 10 apiece for USF (7-4).
The Bulls closed to 40-35 early in the second half on Howard's 3-pointer before Hale took over. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers 34 seconds apart to start the game-breaking 21-5 run and had eight points during the spurt, which ended when Teague's free throw with 8:03 remaining made it 61-40.
USF didn't get closer than seven the rest of the way in its first loss since Nov. 16, when the Bulls lost 74-67 vs. Rhode Island.
Wake Forest beat USF for the first time since 1972, evening the series at two games apiece. The Bulls won last year in a game played at the St. Pete Times Forum because that Demon Deacons team wanted to get used to the arena that would later play host to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
In this one, coach Stan Heath's team shot a respectable 34.5 percent, but had trouble converting from very far away from the basket. The Bulls didn't make a shot that wasn't a layup until Amu Saaka's runner with 4:53 until halftime, and finished 3-of-19 from 3-point range.
Wake Forest best stretch of the season came during the opening 10 minutes, when the Demon Deacons opened the game with a 12-1 run, held the Bulls to one field goal for 9 1/2 minutes and stretched their lead to 25-8 on Skeen's free throw.
The Bulls responded with a 16-6 burst, and closed within five on Jones' 3-pointer from the corner with about 2 minutes until the break. Wake Forest led 37-27 at halftime on Hale's 3 with 3 seconds left.
