Dec. 14, 2008

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.(AP) - Harvey Hale had a season-high 17 points to help No. 11 Wake Forest beat Wright State 66-53 on Sunday.

L.D. Williams added 11 points for the Demon Deacons (9-0), who are off to their best start since winning the first 11 games of 2003-04. Playing its first game after a weeklong break for exams, Wake Forest shot 52 percent and overcame 22 turnovers to beat the pesky Raiders (2-7).

John David Gardner scored 14 points to lead Wright State.

Hale came into the game averaging 6.8 points and shooting 7-for-23 (30 percent) from 3-point range. But the senior hit his first five shots - all from behind the arc - to crack double figures in scoring for the first time this year.

That offset an off day from Jeff Teague, the Atlantic Coast Conference's leading scorer at 20.6 points per game.

Teague didn't manage a field goal in the first half before finishing with 10 points and six rebounds. Still, the Demon Deacons got three straight 3s from Hale to take a double-digit lead midway through the opening half and led 35-25 at halftime on a 3 from Williams just before the horn.

The Demon Deacons increased that lead with an 11-0 run, taking a 21-point lead on Hale's fifth 3 of the game. A few minutes later, James Johnson scored off his own miss following a backcourt turnover to give Wake Forest its largest lead at 54-32 with 13:17 left.

Wright State hung around in the second half, but never seriously threatened to pull the upset.

The Raiders thrived off the Demon Deacons' miscues, scoring 22 points off turnovers. But they shot 40 percent for the game, including 7-for-23 from 3-point range, while Wake Forest had a 39-19 rebounding edge.