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ATLANTA (AP) -- Not starting turned out well for B.J. Elder.
A freshman relegated to a reserve role on senior night, Elder
scored 23 of his career-high 25 points in the second half as
Georgia Tech beat Wake Forest (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 24 AP) 90-77 Wednesday night.
Winston Neal, a senior who had played in just eight games and
scored one point, took Elder's spot in the starting lineup and
played the opening 1:13. It was the first time in 10 games Elder
didn't start.
"I got a real good rhythm in the second half," Elder said. "I
got things going pretty good."
Tony Akins, the only senior who plays regularly for the Yellow
Jackets (14-15, 6-9 Atlantic Coast Conference), scored 19 points
and added eight assists and seven rebounds as they won their fourth
straight and seventh of nine.
"It's been a long journey for me, a long journey that seems
like it lasted one year," Akins said of what probably was his
final home game. "It's kind of sad, but things don't last
forever."
Darius Songaila scored 24 points for the Demon Deacons (18-11,
8-7), who lost for the fifth time in six games. Josh Howard had 17
points in the first game since his technical foul for calling an
extra timeout helped Maryland beat Wake Forest 90-89 Sunday.
The Georgia Tech students never let Howard forget his error,
either. Every time he touched the ball or merely stood still during
a dead ball, chants of "Howard" or "Timeout" filled the arena.
"I put that behind me then," Howard said. "I had to put it
behind me for the team. That's all I care about is this team, and
we didn't do the job tonight."
Craig Dawson, who had 27 points in the loss to Maryland, missed
all five of his shots and was held scoreless.
Georgia Tech got a career-high 14 points from 7-foot center Luke
Schenscher, who was 7-for-7 from the field.
"He did a good job of positioning himself under the basket,"
Songaila said of Schensher. "When he catches the ball, there's not
a lot you can do."
Elder's total was the most by a freshman in the ACC this season.
He had eight during a two-minute stretch early in the second half
to give Georgia Tech the lead for good at 50-48, and scored nine
points over the final 3:28.
"The thing that we've been trying to get him to do is be more
aggressive," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said of Elder. "If
he continues to be more aggressive, he can put up points like
that."
The Deacons were outscored 50-36 in the second half despite
shooting 58 percent. They also made 15 of 16 free throws for the
game.
"We gave up too many easy baskets tonight, and that's a lack of
defense on our part," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. "Their
kids made a lot of big shots and played well."
Georgia Tech led by 12 points with 4:18 left in the first half,
but two technical fouls about 90 seconds apart helped Wake Forest
score 15 straight points to get back in the game.
First, as the teams were heading to their benches for a timeout,
Robert Brooks was whistled for apparently throwing a forearm at
Howard. Then Hewitt reacted to an offensive foul called on Akins by
waving his hands, and referee Jamie Luckie came running across the
court to call a technical.
Songaila made all four free throws, helping the Deacons take a
41-40 halftime lead. | 
Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech