Wake Forest Is Too Tough for Tar Heels

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —  Chris Paul wanted to win, and he got a reminder on just how to make that happen from Wake Forest Coach Skip Prosser.

“Coach always tells us this is a team game played by individuals,” Paul said. “He says you have to beat your guy.”

Paul dominated his point guard matchup with Raymond Felton, Taron Downey had a season-high 18 points and the fourth-ranked Demon Deacons ran away from No. 3 North Carolina, 95-82, on Saturday.

Wake Forest (15-1, 4-0) set an Atlantic Coast Conference record by making all 32 free throws -- falling two short of tying the NCAA mark -- with Paul finishing nine for nine. The 6-foot sophomore finished with 26 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals to overshadow Felton, who made only five of 18 shots and scored 16 points.

“He is a very, very, very talented player with an excellent work ethic,” Prosser said. “He also can read and watch television, so he knew the magnitude of this game, and I think he stepped up to the challenge.”

Downey gave his team an unexpected boost. A senior whose playing time decreased with the emergence of Paul, he came in averaging only 7.6 points.

“I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, he’s one of the most selfless players I’ve ever coached,” Prosser said. “And for that, he’s also one of the most popular among his teammates.”

Downey beat his average by making three consecutive three-point shots during a 90-second stretch of the first half to give the Deacons their first lead at 14-13, and the score was tied only once after that.

“Big-time players like to play on a big stage,” Downey said. “When the stage is big, I play better.”

The Tar Heels (14-2, 3-1), who lost for the first time since their opener at Santa Clara, struggled throughout with foul trouble.

Jackie Manuel, Marvin Williams and David Noel fouled out, and Rashad McCants finished with four fouls. McCants scored 19 points.

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Showdowns on Tobacco Road

With four teams ranked among the nation’s top eight, the Atlantic Coast Conference has at least one major matchup in any given week. A look ahead at some of the games in which those teams go head to head:

Jan. 27 Wake Forest at Georgia Tech

Feb. 2 Duke at Wake Forest

Feb. 5 Georgia Tech at Duke

Feb. 9 North Carolina at Duke

Feb. 20 Wake Forest at Duke

Feb. 23 Duke at Georgia Tech

March 2 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest

March 6 Duke at North Carolina