Wake Forest exploded for scoring runs to start each half and held off Yale 72-71 at home Thursday night.

C.J. Harris and Travis McKie combined for 37 points and proved to be too athletic for a Yale team that had won six straight and four in a row on the road. Wake Forest (9-4) has won three straight overall with one game remaining before opening up ACC play.

Harris drove the lane at will as the Demon Deacons took an early 11-2 lead. Wake Forest then went on a 14-2 spree after halftime to eventually build a 19-point advantage. Yale (8-3) had a late rally of its own but the deficit was too deep to overcome.

Wake looked much improved against an impressive inside-outside combination. It entered the game ranked second-to-last in the ACC in points allowed but shut down Yale from the perimeter, holding it to five 3-pointers.

Even though big man Greg Mangano had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Yale, the Ivy League’s leading long-range shooter, Austin Morgan, tied his worst shooting night of the season, missing six of his first seven attempts beyond the arc. It was a positive sign for a Wake team that was dominated by a similar style team in a 14-point loss to Seton Hall earlier this month.