Nov. 27, 2009

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest will wrap up its Thanksgiving holiday week by hosting longtime rival William & Mary on Saturday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem. The game will be available on the Wake Forest ISP Sports Radio Network.

The Deacons come in at 4-0 on the year following their 76-52 win over Winston-Salem State in the sixth and most likely final game of the Twin City Shootout.

Guards C.J. Harris and Ishmael Smith led Wake against WSSU, scoring 16 points apiece. Ari Stewart came off the bench to chip in 13 points and pull down a game-high eight rebounds.

Wake Forest earned the win thanks in large part to its success in transition. The Deacons outscored the Rams 21-0 in fastbreak points. Wake was also dominant inside, outscoring WSSU 44-18 in the paint.

The Deacons have shot better than 50 percent from the field in three straight games and have held the opposition under 40 percent shooting in all four contests this season.

William & Mary comes to town at 3-2 following its 62-61 defeat of Hampton on Wednesday in Williamsburg. The Tribe has won three straight, including wins over Richmond and at Manhattan.

Wake Forest leads the all-time series with William & Mary, 33-11. The Deacons and Tribe first met during the 1911-12 season but have not played since 1998-99. The teams are former Southern Conference rivals.

Point Guard Smith Continues to Score in Bunches
Ishmael Smith has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 13 games dating back to last season. Smith has averaged 11.4 points per game over that stretch and has shot 49.6 percent (58-of-117) from the field.

Next Up...
Wake Forest will hit the road for a pair of games next week. The Demon Deacons will play at No. 6 Purdue in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1 and then at Gonzaga on Dec. 5. The Purdue and Gonzaga games will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2, respectively. Wake returns home on Dec. 13 to host in-state rival Elon.