WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Jake LaRavia made the go-ahead jump shot with five seconds left in overtime then came up with a steal on the ensuing possession to give Wake Forest a 77-73 victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Tuesday night.
After Northwestern’s Boo Buie made a layup to tie the score at 73 with 20 seconds left in overtime, Wake Forest called timeout then worked the ball to LaRavia. He hit the jumper then came up with the steal a few seconds later as Buie lost possession. LaRavia was fouled and made two free throws to finish off the victory.
LaRavia and Alondes Williams scored 21 points each for the Demon Deacons. Williams had nine rebounds and LaRavia seven. Isaiah Mucius added 12 points.
Pete Nance led Northwestern with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Buie scored 12 points and Elyjah Williams added 11.
There were eight ties in an eight-minute stretch of the second half as the score moved from 51-all to 64-all. The Wildcats’ Ryan Greer hit a jumper to tie it at 64 with 2:35 remaining and neither team scored again in regulation. The back and forth continued in overtime with four lead changes in the first four minutes.
Toward the end of the first half, Wake Forest went on a 13-0 run to lead 32-20 but Northwestern responded with a 12-2 run. Wake Forest led 37-32 at the break.
Wake Forest (7-1) bounced back after taking its first loss, losing 75-61 to LSU in the championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic last week.
Northwestern (5-2) opened the season 5-1 for the second consecutive year.
