WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Chris Paul had 23 points and a career-high 12 assists and Eric Williams added 19 points, helping No. 6 Wake Forest hold off No. 14 Texas 89-88 Saturday.<br>
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Kenton Paulino missed an 18-foot jumper just before the buzzer that would have won it for the Longhorns.<br>
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Vytas Danelius, banished to the bench in the previous game, gave the Demon Deacons (9-1) the lead for good with a reverse layup in traffic with about 3.5 minutes left. The hosts went 6-of-8 on free throws down the stretch to seal it.<br>
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P.J. Tucker led the Longhorns (7-2) with 27 points and 13 rebounds, and Brad Buckman finished with 17 points. This was a rematch of a game last season won by Texas 94-81 behind 21 points from then-freshman Tucker.<br>
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Paul set a new best for assists for the second straight game, topping the 11 he had Wednesday night against Elon. Wake Forest struggled to win that one, and Danelius missed the final 16 minutes after coach Skip Prosser sent him to the bench for an undisclosed transgression.<br>
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Danelius was kept out of the starting lineup for the first time this season Saturday, and he played only 13 minutes. Still, he came through with his clutch basket, only his second of the game.<br>
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Justin Gray had 15 points for the Demon Deacons.<br>
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The frantic final minutes started when Texas took its first lead since midway through the first half on a jumper by Jason Klotz that made it 64-63 with 11:30 left. That came during a 2.5-minute span that featured six lead changes and some of the best play of the game.<br>
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Gibson made a 3-pointer before Klotz scored, and Williams responded with two fast-break layups after passes from Paul. Another 3 by Gibson gave the Longhorns a two-point lead, Williams got loose again down low to tie it, and Kenny Taylor swished a jumper from beyond the arc for a 72-69 lead for Texas.<br>
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After another basket by Williams he had 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half Texas scored the next four points to go back ahead, including a spectacular putback by Taylor. He jumped, reached back over his head to grab the rebound, then threw it back in, all in one motion.<br>
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The Demon Deacons were hurt when a couple of long-range shots rattled around the rim before eventually falling out.<br>
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But they rallied to retake the lead. The comeback was directed by Paul, a sophomore guard who was the top vote-getter on The Associated Press' preseason All-America team.<br>
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He drove the length of the floor and hit a spinning layup as he was fouled by Paulino. Then, after Paulino missed a 3 on the other end, Paul again went to the basket, this time scoring over the 6-foot-9 Klotz to make it 77-76.<br>
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Four straight points, capped Tucker's layup, gave Texas the lead at 80-77 before a dunk by Williams put Wake in position to go ahead on Danelius' layup.
