Wake Forest 79, Radford 67: C.J. Harris had 19 points to lead six players in double figures as host Wake Forest avoided an embarrassing loss by holding off Radford in the season opener for both teams.

Travis McKie added 11 points and freshman point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre scored 10 points for Wake Forest (1-0), which closed the game on a 9-0 run en route to winning its 18th opener in 19 seasons.

The Demon Deacons, who have just four scholarship players returning, were stunned by Stetson in their season opener two years ago and almost suffered a similar fate. The Highlanders (0-1) set a school record for losses last season with 26, but hung around the entire second half on Friday.

A pair of free throws from Kion Brown cut the lead to 70-67 with 1:53 to play before Madison Jones' driving layup gave Wake Forest a five-point edge. After a defensive stop, McKie drove the lane for a layup before he and Harris closed it out by each hitting a pair of free throws.

R.J. Price scored 16 points and Brown added 14 for Radford, which shot just 50 percent (10-of-20) from the free-throw line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Demon Deacons shot a blistering 77.3 percent (17-of-22) in the first half, but couldn't gain separation until the final five minutes. Wake Forest closed the half on an 11-4 run and led 44-35 at the half thanks to Devin Thomas' buzzer-beating offensive putback. Chase Fischer led the way in the first half with 11 points and Harris added nine. ... Wake Forest's bench outscored the Highlanders reserves by a 19-7 margin in the first half.