With 11.3 seconds remaining and his team up by one, Wake Forest guard Taron Downey calmly walked to the free-throw line after he was fouled.
The senior, who had recorded three straight games in double figures heading into last night's contest, sank both shots. The baskets gave Downey a below-average seven points on the night but put No. 6 Wake Forest ahead,67-64.
Temple guard Dustin Salisbery's last-second three-point attempt hit the front of the rim, and the Demon Deacons escaped the Liacouras Center with the victory.
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser, who had previously experienced Temple's style of play during his seven-year stint with Temple'sAtlantic 10 rival Xavier, praised the Owls (3-5) for their ability to dictate the pace of the game.
"I thought that Temple really played well," Prosser said. "The game was really played at their tempo."
The Demon Deacons (7-1) came into the contest averaging 83.1 points per game, almost 21 more than the Owls. Yet Temple was able to stay in the game because of several Wake Forest miscues as well as the surprise benching of two of the Demon Deacons' starters.
Sophomore guard Chris Paul, a preseason first-team All-American, and junior center Eric Williams, a 6-foot-9, 291-pound behemoth, were both benched for the opening four minutes after arriving two minutes late to the team bus on the way to the game.
"We have a lot of rules, but one of them is if you can't be on time, be early," Prosser said.
When Paul eventually came in, he struggled against Temple junior Mardy Collins.
"There was a guy like Mardy Collins who played well against an All-American," Temple coach John Chaney said. "He outplayed and outclassed him, there's no question about it."
Collins finished with a season-high 25 points, but this time the junior was unable to bail out the Owls down the stretch.
The first half was a see-saw battle in which the Owls took advantage of nine Wake Forest turnovers to take a 30-29 halftime lead.
Prior to last night's contest, the Owls were undefeated when leading at the half. But the Demon Deacons came out firing after intermission and received offensive support from the unlikeliest of sources.
Junior Trent Strickland added two clutch three-pointers off the bench for Wake Forest. His first NBA-range trifecta gave the Demon Deacons a seven-point lead with 6:24 remaining. After the Owls came within two, Strickland hit another wide open three to give the Demon Deacons a 62-57 lead.
"It was imperative that someone came off the bench and give us a perimeter lift," Prosser said. "I don't think we would have won the game without Trent Strickland."
Temple was able to cut the deficit down to a point after a jumper by Wayne Marshall but was forced to foul Downey after Wake Forest ran down the clock.
The Demon Deacons received inside support from Williams, who tallied 17 points, as well as 15 points from All-ACC guard Justin Gray.
