WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-Sophomore guard Codi Miller-McIntyre scored 26 points and Devin Thomas pulled down 19 rebounds as the Wake Forest Demon Deacons came from behind to beat the Richmond Spiders, 76-66 in overtime Saturday. Wake Forest dominated the glass, 53-24 on a day where shots seemingly would not drop until the final minutes.
"That was one of our keys, was to dominate the glass," head coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "In Richmond's losses this year, I believe they were minus-6 on the glass. We felt that we could do that.
Wake Forest (8-2) trailed 61-56 with 1:27 remaining in regulation when senior Travis McKie hit a cold-blooded three-pointer to bring the Deacs within 2 with just over a minute to play. Richmond's Cedrick Lindsay and Terry Allen both missed jumpers, giving the Deacs 12 seconds to tie the game.
Out of the timeout, Wake Forest ran a clear-out for Miller-McIntyre, as he drove to the rim and drew a foul. After Miller-McIntyre made both free throws to tie the score, Richmond (7-3) had 7 seconds in which to get off a good shot, but Lindsay's attempt bounced harmlessly in to Aaron Rountree's hands.
Wake Forest dominated the overtime, stretching the lead to 8 before the Spiders scored their first point. The overtime lead got as high as 10 with the Spiders never mounting an offensive. Miller-McIntyre sealed the affair with a spectacular dunk with 26 seconds remaining, sending a raucous Joel Coliseum crowd into fits of delight.
"Simply put, our team showed great resolve, a great will to fight all the way to the end and it turned out well for us," Bzdelik said. "You have to win pivotal games like this. You just have to win these types of games. We did find a way to do it."
Wake Forest now has 10 days off for exams before returning to the Joel December 17th to face St. Bonaventure (7:00 p.m, ESPN3).
