WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Jaylen Hoard and Brandon Childress each scored 16 points to lead Wake Forest past Davidson 67-63 on Monday night.
Chaundee Brown finished with 13 and Torry Johnson had 10, including two important layups in the final minutes for the Demon Deacons (6-3).
They shot 47 percent, held the Wildcats to 29 percent shooting from 3-point range - including 3-of-11 from long range in the second half - and hit 6 of 10 free throws in the final 1:13.
Jon Axel Gudmundsson scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, and Luka Brajkovic finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Davidson (8-3), which has lost two straight after winning five in a row.
The Wildcats pulled to 56-51 on Gudmundsson's free throw with 3:10 left, but Johnson countered by spinning in a layup through contact and hitting the ensuing free throw to put Wake Forest up by eight. Davidson didn't get closer than six until Brajkovic's layup with 3.2 seconds left made it a four-point game.
BIG PICTURE
Davidson: The Wildcats missed leading scorer Kellan Grady, out for a second straight game with an ankle injury, and when they fell behind by 14 early, it was fair to wonder if they had completely gotten over their overtime loss to Temple two days earlier. They clawed back late, but their inaccuracy from long range for most of the second half kept them from a victory that was within reach.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons - two-point underdogs - hadn't played since a 24-point rout of Charlotte on Dec. 6, so the big question was whether they could keep that momentum flowing 11 days later. They led this one for all but about 4 minutes and came up with a response every time Davidson made a run - precisely the kind of performance they wanted heading into their visit to No. 3 Tennessee on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Davidson: Plays host to Central Penn on Saturday.
Wake Forest: Visits Tennessee on Saturday.
