By David Droschak
The Associated Press

Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser argues a referee's call in the first half against Duke. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - It took six years and 15 tries for Wake Forest to finally beat Duke - and then it took two overtimes.

Vytas Danelius scored 20 points and matched a career high with 14 rebounds as the 15th-ranked Demon Deacons snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Blue Devils with a 94-80 win Thursday night.

Before the game, the Wake Forest locker room was as silent as could be.

"When a team is as quiet as we were it means one of two things - either you're scared or you're ready," coach Skip Prosser said. "We were ready.

"It's one thing to tell them, 'Hey listen, it's Duke, a Hall of Fame coach, terrific, terrific players, but they don't dress in a phone booth. They're not Superman,"' Prosser added. "But until you beat them, it's really just coach speak. Our guys were determined that if we were going down we were going down swinging."

The victory kept the Demon Deacons (17-3, 7-2) in first place in the ACC, a half-game ahead of No. 16 Maryland.

The Blue Devils (16-4, 6-4) lost their fourth straight ACC road game for the first time since 1996, shooting 31.5 percent.

Danelius scored all five of Wake Forest's points in the first overtime and four in the second extra session to help the Demon Deacons beat Duke for the first time since January 1997 - when Tim Duncan was a senior.

"It's a good feeling to be tired," said Danelius, one of three players to log 45 minutes.

Eight players fouled out in a game that saw 64 fouls called. Trent Strickland, one of the freshest players left on the court, scored 10 points in the second OT, while Jamaal Levy added 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Chris Duhon led Duke with a career-high 23 points, but the point guard missed his first six shots of the second overtime as Wake Forest outscored the Blue Devils 20-6.

Dahntay Jones, Duke's leading scorer, was 0-for-12 from the field and finished with 10 points in 45 minutes. The Blue Devils only had four assists.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted his club hasn't shot well in about three weeks.

"When you don't hit shots you don't get assists," Krzyzewski said. "And you don't get an assist for a free throw. We missed 50 shots."

Jones, averaging 16.9 points, was 1-for-10 from the field less than two weeks ago in a loss at Florida State.

"I was just trying to step up and take shots," Jones said. "I thought after Florida State I wouldn't have this again."

Wake Forest was without star forward Josh Howard for the stretch run of regulation and the two overtimes, but the senior was more than pleased to watch the final outcome from the bench.

"Right now I'm so happy I don't know what to do," said Howard, who scored 10 points and was one of three Wake Forest players to foul out. "I can remember this game now. We won."

Neither team led by more than three over the final 8:38 of regulation - and each club had a shot to win it in the final seconds.

Duhon missed a 3-pointer with 12.6 seconds left and Justin Gray, who scored 18 points in his first game back from a broken jaw, also missed a shot behind the arc seven seconds later as the game went into overtime tied at 69.

Wake Forest failed to close out Duke in the first extra period despite three chances in the final 4.8 seconds. Strickland missed his shot in the lane and a follow, and Levy's final follow with 0.8 seconds left fell off the rim.

But after Jones' free throw gave Duke its only lead in the second OT, Strickland put Wake Forest up for good with a shot in the lane. Levy then added a follow, Danelius two free throws and Taron Downey a fast-break layup for an 82-75 lead.

The ACC's best free-throw shooting team closed it out at the line, making eight straight down the stretch.

Duke, which had five players foul out, made just five baskets over the final 23 minutes and was outrebounded 50-37.

Duke missed 14 of its first 20 shots to fall into a 10-point hole 111/2 minutes in.

Gray, out since breaking his jaw at Cameron Indoor Stadium a month ago, saw his first action 5:17 in, receiving a standing ovation from the sellout crowd at Joel Coliseum.

The guard wore a face mask to help protect his face, but it didn't seem to bother him as Gray sank his first two shots and finished the half with eight points.

Jones and Duhon - Duke's two leaders - were a combined 1-of-10 in the opening 20 minutes as the Blue Devils shot just 34 percent.

"If you want to point out one guy it should be Justin Gray," Krzyzewski said. "He looked like a very mature player out there, very poised. That helped them immensely."