No. 6 Wake nips Temple

PHILADELPHIA - Trent Strickland didn&#39;t demand the ball. He wanted to guard the player who had it.<br> <br> Strickland scored all nine of his points over the final 9 minutes and played solid defense down the stretch, leading No. 6 Wake Forest to a 67-64 victory over Temple on Monday night.<br> <br> ``We don&#39;t win the game without Trent Strickland,&#39;&#39; Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said.<br> <br> Mardy Collins had a season-high 25 points for Temple (3-5), which had a chance at tying the game but sophomore Dustin Salisbery&#39;s 3-pointer hit the rim with 1 second to play.<br> <br> Strickland, a reserve forward, held Collins to two baskets in the last 6 minutes.<br> <br> ``I wanted to cover Collins,&#39;&#39; Strickland said. ``He was the man with the ball and if I&#39;m playing, I want the guy who always has the ball.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Wake Forest opened the game with two starters on the bench for disciplinary reasons. Chris Paul, the leading vote-getter on the AP&#39;s preseason All-America team, and Eric Williams, sat out the opening 4 minutes for being 2 minutes late for the bus on the way to the game.<br> <br> Williams had 17 points, while Justin Gray added 15. Paul finished with nine points and eight assists for Wake Forest, which was coming off a nine-day break for exams.<br> <br> ``Trent Strickland is a winner. He stepped up big for us on both ends of the court. We have to give him a game ball,&#39;&#39; Paul said. ``He gets the emotion going for us.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Wake Forest held on by making 5-of-6 from the free throw line over the final 2 minutes.<br> <br> The game was played at Temple&#39;s pace as Wake Forest came in averaging 83.1 points, almost 21 more than the Owls.<br> <br> ``They did a terrific job keeping us off balance,&#39;&#39; Prosser said. ``We were never able to get into a rhythm.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It was the second straight near-upset for Temple, which lost 75-71 to then-No. 18 Alabama on Saturday.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s going to pay off somewhere down the line,&#39;&#39; Owls coach John Chaney said of his team&#39;s difficult schedule.<br> <br> There were six lead changes and two ties in the opening 10 minutes of the second half and Wake Forest seemed to take control behind Strickland, who came in averaging 6.3 points.<br> <br> Strickland had six points in a 15-6 run that gave the Demon Deacons a 58-49 lead with 5:40 left.<br> <br> Collins scored on a drive to make it 59-57, and he and Strickland exchanged 3-pointers to make it 62-60. Gray made two free throws with 1:56 to go to make it a four-point game and Salisbery tipped in a missed 3 by Collins to get it to 64-62 with 1:29 to go.<br> <br> Williams made one free throw, then Wayne Marshall scored in the lane for Temple to make it 65-64 with 36 seconds left.<br> <br> Taron Downey, a 64 percent free throw shooter, made two with 11 seconds left for the final margin.<br> <br> ``I like playing in tough situations. It brings out the best in you,&#39;&#39; Strickland said. ``When I get open shots I know I can knock them down.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Jamal Levy had eight rebounds for Wake Forest, which finished with a 31-21 advantage on the boards. The Demon Deacons turned the ball over 15 times against Temple&#39;s matchup zone.<br> <br> ``I liken this to going to the dentist,&#39;&#39; Prosser said of facing Temple&#39;s defense. ``You know it&#39;s good for you, but the whole time you are sitting there with your mouth open, waiting for the pain to come.&#39;&#39;