WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- The shots weren't dropping for Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons didn't have that many transition chances and there was even less flow on the offensive end.
Yet for coach Dino Gaudio, all that mattered was what happened at the defensive end of the floor.
Wake Forest locked down on Miami in the opening minutes to build a big lead, then held the Hurricanes scoreless over the final 4 minutes to grind out a 62-53 win Tuesday night. In between was plenty of ugly basketball for both teams, though Gaudio didn't seem to mind all that much considering the way the Demon Deacons made things difficult for the Hurricanes following a lopsided loss at Georgia Tech.
"You hold anybody in this league to (30 percent) from the field for the game, that's pretty good," he said. "We just grinded it out. We didn't let what happened on the offensive end affect us on the defensive end.
"I really think they've got a lot of toughness. They've got a lot of character. I think they've got a lot of heart. They bounce back."
C.J. Harris scored 12 points to lead the Demon Deacons (15-5, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), while Ishmael Smith added 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists. They raced to a 17-point first half, then spent the rest of the game protecting that margin against a team with plenty of fight but not enough punch to complete a big comeback.
That's not to say the numbers were pretty for the Demon Deacons. They shot 41 percent, committed 16 turnovers -- including several on first-half transition chances that would have padded the lead -- and were beaten on the glass to help the Hurricanes (16-6, 2-6) hang around in a game that looked like it would be a blowout.
Miami got to within three points with about 5 1/2 minutes left, but came up empty on its last seven possessions.
"It was terrible out there," Harris said. "There was no flow at all. If any team started getting a flow, they came out and turned it over or committed fouls back-to-back. It was an ugly game, but luckily we pulled through."
The Hurricanes won the first meeting earlier this month, using James Dews' follow with 30 seconds left, then rebounding a missed last-possession jumper from Smith to seal a 67-66 victory.
This time, Miami fell behind 25-8 as it missed 13 of 15 shots and committed 10 turnovers in the first 13 1/2 minutes. But the Demon Deacons didn't take advantage of an early opportunity, repeatedly committing turnovers and fouls that put the cold-shooting Hurricanes at the line for some confidence-building free throws.
After trailing 36-27 at halftime, the Hurricanes pulled to within seven points three separate times, then six points on a 3-pointer from Dews with 11:30 left, then five on a 3 from freshman Garrius Adams on the next possession before finally getting it to 55-52 on a long straightaway 3 from Adams with 5:35 left.
But that was Miami's last field goal. Chas McFarland scored over Dwayne Collins on the next possession to push the margin back to five, and the Hurricanes managed only a single free throw the rest of the game.
"That's kind of been our staple all year," said McFarland, who had nine points and seven rebounds. "We lost two really good scorers last year (Jeff Teague and James Johnson to the NBA draft) so we know what we've got to do to be successful -- and that's to get stops."
While the Hurricanes shot 30 percent, they converted 13 offensive rebounds into a 17-2 edge in second-chance points to hang around. Their zone defense also slowed Al-Farouq Aminu, who finished with six points on 1-for-5 shooting and nine rebounds -- far below his averages of 17 points and 11 boards coming in.
Adams led Miami with 13 points off the bench, finishing with three 3-pointers and a contested jumper at the halftime horn. Dews scored 10 points, while freshman reserve Reggie Johnson added eight points and six boards as the fouls piled up early.
It was the Hurricanes' fifth loss in six games, though Miami is hoping to build some late-season momentum when it closes with five of seven at home.
"The court time these guys get will help them get better," Miami coach Frank Haith said of Adams and Johnson. "We've had to endure a great deal of these games on the road, but it's only going to make us stronger at the end."
