The Sports Xchange
Nov 17, 2017
Senior guard Reed Timmer scored 19 of his 29 points after intermission and Drake erased an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Wake Forest 77-74 on Friday in the first round of the Paradise Jam at Lynchburg, Va.
Junior center Doral Moore recorded 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds -- his first career double-double -- for the Demon Deacons, who are 0-3 for the first time in 50 years. Freshman guard Chaundee Brown added 12 points and six rebounds for Wake Forest, which will play Quinnipiac in the losers' bracket Saturday.
Senior guard Graham Woodward scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and was 5 for 9 from 3-point range to help the Bulldogs (2-0) advance to a semifinal meeting with Colorado on Saturday. Timmer was 6 of 8 from beyond the arc as Drake made 15 of 30 3-pointers.
The Demon Deacons led by as many as 11 in the first half after a jumper by junior guard Keyshawn Woods (11 points) made it 32-21 with 5:11 left in the period before settling for a 38-36 lead at the break.
Timmer's 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs their first lead 20 seconds into the second half before Wake Forest pushed ahead 60-49 midway through the half. Another Timmer 3 capped a 17-4 run to put Drake ahead 66-64 with 4:42 remaining.
Moore's bucket with 3:09 to play trimmed the Bulldogs' lead to 70-69 before Drake scored seven straight points, including a pair of Timmer free throws with 52 seconds left to make it 77-69.
Drake was voted to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference after back-to-back seven-win seasons.