Harris leads Wake Forest past UNC Wilmington 87-78

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

By JOEDY McCREARY

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) C.J. Harris scored 23 points and six Wake Forest players reached double figures in an 87-78 victory against UNC Wilmington on Wednesday night.

Tony Chennault added 15 points for the Demon Deacons (8-4). They let an 11-point lead slip away in the second half before holding UNC Wilmington without a field goal for nearly 5 minutes as part of their 21-6 run.

Freshman Adam Smith had season highs of 32 points and seven 3-pointers, and Keith Rendleman added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Seahawks (3-7). They led 58-54 on Tanner Milson's 3 with just over 9 minutes left, but immediately went cold.

Harris - who was 13 of 14 from the line - and Chennault each hit two free throws, and Nikita Mescheriakov's foul shot with 7:45 left put Wake Forest ahead to stay. Chennault's layup capped the run, making it 75-64 with just under 3 minutes left.

Updated December 21, 2011