(Sports Network) - Jeff Teague had 29 points and six assists, as the 19th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons held off Texas El-Paso, 82-79, in second-round action of the 76 Classic. James Johnson had 18 points and five rebounds while Al-Farouq Aminu added 15 points and eight boards for the Demon Deacons (5-0), who will play the winner of the Arizona State/Baylor game for the championship on Sunday.

Stefon Jackson had a game-high 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Randy Culpepper added 15 points for the Miners (3-2), who have dropped two of their last three.

Trailing by nine points, the Miners started the second half by scoring the first seven points and Jackson completed a three-point play to make it a 42-40 contest less than three minutes in.

Tony Woods stopped the bleeding as he was fouled on a basket and drained the free throw.

Jackson made it a four-point game a bit later on two free throws, but Teague followed with a three and Johnson's pair from the line gave the Demon Deacons a 57-48 advantage with about 12 minutes to play.

Wake Forest led by as many as 12 points over the next several minutes, but the Miners cut the lead to four points, as Culpepper's basket made it a 70-66 game with six minutes to play.

However, Teague and Aminu countered with consecutive baskets to make it a 74-66 game.

UTEP didn't go away quietly, though, as Claude Britten made it a two-point game, 78-76, on a jumper with under a minute to play.

Teague missed a jumper at the other end, but Wake Forest grabbed the offensive rebound and Teague then drained two free throws with 23 ticks left on the clock.

Jackson followed with a basket that he was fouled on and he made the free throw to make it an 80-79 game, but Teague countered with two free throws and Jackson missed a three-pointer in the final moments of the game as Wake Forest held on for the win.

The score was tied at 33-33 with under four minutes to play in the first half, but Aminu scored the next seven points and Ishmael Smith's two from the line in the final minute allowed Wake Forest to take a 42-33 lead into the locker room.

Game Notes

UTEP won the only other game between these two teams in the 1984-85 season...Wake Forest shot 53.8 percent from the floor, while UTEP made just 34.2 percent of its shots...The Miners dominated on the boards, 50-33.



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