Duncan, Braswell Wrap Up ACC Title for Wake Forest
Tim Duncan assured himself a place in Atlantic Coast Conference championship history on Sunday, and Jerry Braswell saved the day with four clutch free throws as No. 12 Wake Forest fought off No. 18 Georgia Tech, 75-74.
With the victory, the Demon Deacons (23-5) claimed the automatic NCAA tournament invitation that goes with the title.
Duncan had 27 points and 22 rebounds to become the sixth player in the 43-year history of the ACC tournament with a 20-point, 20-rebound game. His rebounds gave him a three-day total of 55, breaking the mark of 54 set by North Carolina State’s Ronnie Shavlik. He was a unanimous pick as the tournament’s most valuable player.
After trailing by as many as 16 in the second half, the Yellow Jackets drew to 71-70 on a three-point shot by Michael Maddox with 50.1 seconds to go. Braswell, a 71% free-throw shooter, made his first two free throws with 42.6 seconds to go. After a driving basket by Stephon Marbury, Braswell made the next two with 32.7 seconds to go.
Marbury, who finished with 26 points, made two free throws with 19.4 seconds left to pull Georgia Tech (22-11) to what would be the final score.
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