Collins' double double lead Wake Forest past Radford, 80-59
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) John Collins sure liked the statistics next to his name in the first game of his second season for Wake Forest.
�� The sophomore forward had career highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Demon Deacons defeated Radford 80-59 in the season opener Friday night.
�� ''I feel I came out with a solid start to my sophomore campaign,'' Collins said. ''Statistically, it says it is my best game.''
�� Devin Thomas was a four-year player for Wake Forest and often helped control the lane. He has moved on, so Collins said he understands the importance of picking up the slack.
�� ''There's no DT any more to get those tenacious rebounds,'' Collins said. ''Somebody needs to fill that void.''
�� Collins, who made 7 of 11 shots from the field, had plenty of help. Keyshawn Woods scored nine points in the first 12 minutes of the second half on his way to 14 points in his Wake Forest debut.
�� Bryant Crawford also added 14 points and eight assists for the Demon Deacons, though he went down with what he later described as a foot cramp after a dunk with less than two minutes to play.
�� Wake Forest shot 62.5 percent from the field in the second half. At the other end, the Demon Deacons racked up 10 blocked shots, contributing to Radford's 35.8-percent shooting from the field.
�� ''I thought we played hard enough to win the game for the majority of the game,'' Radford coach Mike Jones said. ''As the game wore on, I thought their size really affected us. I thought it took a toll on us in the second half. I thought we got a little tired.''
�� Ed Polite Jr. paced Radford with 11 points.�
�� Woods, a redshirt sophomore who sat out last season after transferring from Charlotte, scored all but three of his points in the second half. He made consecutive jumpers as part of a personal 5-0 run as the Demon Deacons built a 56-39 edge.�
�� Wake Forest coach Danny Manning liked what Woods provided.
�� ''He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades for us,'' Manning said. ''We're very happy that he's out there on the court with us.''
�� Wake Forest held several 11-point leads in the first half, but led 36-28 at the break.
�� ''Still there were moments in the game we could have put them away earlier,'' Crawford said.
� The Demon Deacons came into the season touting improved perimeter shooting and the game's first basket was a 3-pointer by graduate transfer Austin Arians. But by the end of the half, they were 3 of 12 on 3s.
�� Radford sputtered offensively early, shooting 2-for-15 from the field in the first 10 1/2 minutes.
�� ''We were not in sync. They disrupted our flow,'' Jones said. ''We got some good looks and didn't capitalize and I think a lot of that was their defense.''
�BIG PICTURE
Radford: The Highlanders had seven seniors on last year's team, leaving only fourth-year junior guard Justin Cousin and sophomore forward Ed Polite Jr. as primary returners. They combined for 14 points in the opener.
The Highlanders couldn't repeat the type of result they earned in last year's opener when they notched a triple-overtime triumph at Georgetown.
Wake Forest: Wake Forest opened the season with a home game for the 13th year in a row, stretching its first-game winning streak to six seasons.
�UP NEXT
Wake Forest is back in action Sunday at home against Bucknell before heading to the Charleston Classic for three games next week.
Radford plays its lone home game among its first seven games when Central Penn visits Wednesday.