CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands -- For the second straight game Wichita State had a second-half lead but could not hold off the opponent, as Wake Forest (5-1) used a 50-32 advantage on the boards to push past Wichita State (1-4), 54-47, in WSU's final contest in the 2007 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

The teams traded baskets early on as the Shocker defense continued to improve, holding Wake Forest to just 18 percent shooting in the first seven-plus minutes of the first half. After the Demon Deacons hit two quick three-pointers early on, the Shockers answered with a 9-0 run to take a 13-8 lead with just less than 12 minutes left following a Daria Frazier basket in transition after a Shocker steal.

WSU held a small lead late in the half and a Jacie Hoyt banker with 3:18 left extended the Shockers' edge to its biggest of the game to that point, 24-18, highlighted by a 7-2 run. Wake Forest promptly answered with a 8-2 run to end the half, capped by a Camille Collier three-pointer in the closing seconds to send the contest to the break tied at 26-26.

The Demon Deacons shot just 26 percent in the first frame, while WSU was 10-for-25 from the floor, good for a 40 percent effort in the first. Each team recorded seven turnovers, while neither team was impressive at the free-throw line, with Wake Forest going 5-of-9 and WSU just 4-of-9 at the stripe. Collier's 11 first-half points gave Wake Forest an 11-3 advantage in bench points, and just three Deacons saw action off the bench in the first frame.

The teams started the second half in much the same way, trading points early on until the Deacons used lengthy possessions and a huge advantage on the offensive and defensive glass to wear the Shockers down, using a six-minute scoring drought by WSU midway through the half to take a 47-42 lead with just less than four minutes to play.

WSU closed the lead to just five after a pair of Stephens free throws but a Courtney Morris three-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer gave the Deacons a 52-44 lead with less than two minutes left in the game. Kyrie Kinder's three-pointer with 1:36 left brought WSU to within five at 52-47, but WSU's offense could provide no points, as Kinder's runner with less than a minute left was long, and Wake Forest came up with the rebound and the win, sinking plenty of free throws down the stretch to seal the 2007 Paradise Jam championship in the St. John Division.

The Shockers are next in action at 7 p.m., Thurs., Nov. 29 against Nicholls State at Charles Koch Arena.