NEW YORK, 26 November 2004 — Justin Gray scored 21 points to lead top-ranked Wake Forest over Providence, 79-67, in semifinal action of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden.
Eric Williams added 18 points for the Demon Deacons (4-0), who are 2-0 since being voted the top team in the nation for the first time in school history. All-American Chris Paul was held to 11 points for Wake, which will face the winner of the Arizona-Michigan game on Friday night.
Ryan Gomes scored a game-high 24 for Providence (3-1), which hung with the high-powered Demon Deacons but could never forge ahead. Dwight Brewington added 23 points for the Friars, who will face the loser of other semifinal. With the Deacons holding a 52-47 lead, the club went on a 13-4 run to pull away midway through the second half. A Gray three-pointer with 6:27 remaining capped the run, giving Wake a 65-51 advantage with 6 1/2 minutes on the clock. Providence couldn’t get any closer than eight points, 67-59, the rest of the way.
In other games involving ranked teams, Luther Head had 22 points and nine assists to lead fifth-ranked Illinois to an easy 85-54 win over Oakland at Assembly Hall.
The Illinois led 62-41 early in the second half, but scored five straight points, culminated by Rich McBride’s three-pointer with 11:23 remaining to push the lead to 26 points.
In Pittsburgh, Chris Taft posted game-highs of 21 points and nine rebounds as 16th-ranked Pittsburgh defeated local rival Robert Morris, 83-59, at the Petersen Events Center.
Meanwhile in Hawaii, Daniel Gibson poured in a team-high 19 points and Kenny Taylor added 16, leading 15th-ranked Texas over Tennessee, 95-70, in the third place game of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Tennessee, which trailed from the opening tip, kept the game close in the first half when Major Wingate’s driving layup trimmed the Volunteers’ deficit to 17-13 with under-15 minutes left in the stanza.
However, Texas responded by going on a 22-7 flurry over the next 9 1/2 minutes to take a comfortable lead. Gibson, who accounted for eight points during the burst, ended the run with two free throws, which pushed the Texas advantage to 39-20 with around seven minutes remaining in the half.
In the fifth place game of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center, Taquan Dean poured in a game-high 30 points and Francisco Garcia added 16 points to lead 12th-ranked Louisville over Stanford, 82-67.
Dean also grabbed five boards and handed out three assists, while Ellis Myles chipped in eight points and 13 boards for Louisville (3-1), which shot 11-20 from three-point land.
