WINSTON-SALEM -- Keyshawn Woods scored 20 points and Wake Forest held on to beat UNC Greensboro 81-75 on Friday night.

   Doral Moore added 17 points, Bryant Crawford had 11 and freshman Donovan Mitchell finished with 10 for the Demon Deacons (2-4). 

   They entered having lost four of five to start the year but shot better than 50 percent for the first time this season, hitting 61.5 percent of their shots overall and 57 percent from 3-point range.

   Francis Alonso scored 31 points, one shy of a career high, with seven 3-pointers for the Spartans (4-2), who had their four-game winning streak snapped with both losses coming against Atlantic Coast Conference schools.

   James Dickey III pulled UNC Greensboro to 75-73 with a free throw with 36.4 seconds remaining before Moore followed with two foul shots to make it a four-point game with 36.2 seconds to play.

   Alonso countered with a jumper over Mitchell Wilbekin with 21.6 seconds left, making it 77-75. Wake Forest broke the Spartans' press, but freshman Chaundee Brown missed a layup with about 15 seconds left and Malik Massey came down with the ball. But the officials ruled his heel was on the end line, giving the ball back to the Demon Deacons with 14.5 seconds left. 

   Brown then hit two free throws to push the lead to four, and Alonso's 3-pointer with about 5 seconds left was too strong.

    BIG PICTURE

   UNC Greensboro: The Spartans reached the Southern Conference title game last season and Alonso is capable of shooting them back there again this coming March. He has 18 in his last three games, and single-handedly kept UNC Greensboro in this one with his long-range touch. UNC Greensboro finished 13 of 26 from 3-point range.

   Wake Forest: Maybe a return home to face one of their neighbor schools is what the Demon Deacons needed to start to get themselves right after an awful start to a promising season. Wake Forest improved to 32-0 against the five schools based in north-central North Carolina, and won its 13th in a row against instate, non-conference opponents.

   UP NEXT

   UNC Greensboro: Visits Presbyterian on Tuesday night.

   Wake Forest: Plays host to Illinois on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.