Paul Lifts No. 2 Wake Forest

Wake Forest alternated between thrilling and ragged in its debut as the nation’s second-ranked team Monday.

Fortunately for the Demon Deacons, they had Chris Paul to get them through it.

Paul scored 25 points and six assists to lift the Demon Deacons past George Washington, 97-76, in a Preseason NIT game at Winston-Salem, N.C.

Justin Gray had 18 points and seven steals.

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Cameo Hicks scored 14 points to help Washington upset No. 14 Minnesota, 72-67, in overtime in a women’s game at Seattle.

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The Big East Conference will be one 16-team division in 2005-06 and only 12 schools will participate in the postseason basketball tournament. The league said the new structure would take effect after the addition in 2005 of five schools from Conference USA and Boston College’s departure for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

From Associated Press

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UCLA received signed letters of intent from its two recruits from Cameroon. Alfred Aboya, a 6-foot-8, 242-pound forward who is playing at Tilton (N.H.) Prep Academy, and 6-7, 215-pound Luc Richard Mbaha Moute, who is playing at Montverde (Fla.) Academy, complete a five-player 2005-06 freshman class for second-year Coach Ben Howland.

Aboya averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds last season and he has played for the Cameroon national team. Moute, an honor roll student, averaged 12 points last season.

-- Diane Pucin