David Efianayi scored 15 points as visiting Gardner-Webb used strong late-game free-throw shooting to defeat Wake Forest 73-69 on Saturday afternoon at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Jose Perez's 14 points, Christian Turner's 13 points and DJ Laster's 12 points also gave a boost to the Bulldogs (10-5), who own two victories this month against Atlantic Coast Conference members with a triumph at Georgia Tech also on their resumé.
Gardner-Webb made 18 of 20 consecutive free throws in the final 2:03. It was 35-for-40 for the game from the foul line.
Brandon Childress scored 18 points, while Jaylen Hoard, Torry Johnson and Chaundee Brown all added 12 points for Wake Forest (6-5), which shot 7-for-25 on 3-point attempts. Four of the successful launches came in the final two minutes.
Gardner-Webb scored 15 straight points for a 54-42 lead.
Wake Forest endured a scoreless stretch of more than six minutes before Torry Johnson's free throw with 3:38 left. This span included Hoard fouling out with 4:48 to play.
Hoard's fifth foul came when he fouled Nate Johnson on a 3-point attempt, resulting in three made free throws. Nate Johnson followed with a basket on the next possession.
Childress' 3-point basket pulled Wake Forest within 61-55 with 59 seconds left. After two Turner foul shots, a Brown 3-pointer cut it to 63-58 but that was a close as it got until Childress' three free throws at the 14-second mark and then three more at the 7.6-second mark.
Wake Forest's non-league slate, which concludes next week against visiting Cornell, also lists a home loss to Houston Baptist.
Wake Forest led 28-26 at halftime despite 13 first-half turnovers.
The Demon Deacons were 5-for-21 from the field, but made up for it with 15-for-22 free-throw shooting to account for more than half of their production at that juncture.
Gardner-Webb had 13 first-half points from players off the bench, while the Demon Deacons received 11 points from their reserves by the break. Wake Forest starters combined to shoot 3-for-11 from the field in the opening half, though Brown had nine points.
Gardner-Webb reserve guard Jaheam Cornwell had four fouls in the first half and exited with his fifth foul with 10 minutes to play.
--Field Level Media
Gardner-Webb | Wake Forest | |
David Efianayi 15 | Scoring | Brandon Childress 18 |
David Efianayi 3 | Assists | Brandon Childress 3 |
Nate Johnson 7 | Rebounds | Olivier Sarr 9 |
Jose Perez 10 | Free Throws Made | Brandon Childress 8 |
David Efianayi 2 | Steals | Brandon Childress 4 |
Ludovic Dufeal 1 | Blocks | Chaundee Brown 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Gardner-Webb | 73 | 35.3 | 2-15 | 35-40 | 11 | 34 | 1 | 11 | 17 |
Wake Forest | 69 | 32.7 | 7-25 | 28-37 | 7 | 34 | 5 | 7 | 18 |