WINSTON-SALEM – The start of the game left a lot to be desired from Wake Forest; the Deacons still didn’t make many 3-pointers (though they also took fewer of them); and a late turnover in the final minute gave Boston College a trip to the free-throw line when Wake’s lead was two points.

And the Deacons survived, winning the ACC opener 72-66 against BC on Saturday at Joel Coliseum.

“I think this was a game really important for us to have, especially after the tough loss we just had,” said senior guard Cameron Hildreth, having notched a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double. “To go into the break like this is really promising.”

The Deacons’ sixth home win in as many games here didn’t come easy. They edged in front with an 11-0 run early in the second half but couldn’t extend it to a double-digit advantage — Wake’s biggest lead was eight, at 54-46 with almost 12 minutes left.

But the Deacons (8-3) never trailed in the last 17 minutes. They made 12 free throws in the final eight minutes — nine of them by Hildreth — and survived when BC’s Fred Payne missed the first of a one-and-one attempt with 30.9 seconds left when the score was 68-66.

“It was a hard-fought game, I knew it’d be a rock fight, it always is with Boston College,” coach Steve Forbes said. “Everybody’s got hope now, everybody’s 0-0 in the league. You know, it’s not February.”

So, with February feeling like a long way away, Wake Forest can hit something of a reset button on what’s been a lackluster first one-third of its season.

Wake’s 10-day break comes at a good time, the Deacons having played their first 11 games across the last 34 days.

By comparison, they’ll play three games in the last 24 days of this month.

Putting things bluntly: Wake’s offense falls somewhere between work in progress and disaster.

What helped Wake’s offense against BC were more minutes from freshman Juke Harris (30 minutes) and Ty-Laur Johnson (19). The contrast from Tuesday night’s loss at Texas A&M was noticeable — Harris didn’t play in College Station, the first DNP of his career, and Johnson only played two minutes, during which he committed two turnovers and missed a shot.

Against BC (6-4): Harris had 12 points and made more than half of Wake’s 3-pointers (he was 3-for-5; other Deacons were 2-for-8); Johnson had four points and four assists, only committing one turnover.

“Most people, to not play a game, and then they’ll come in and practice with attitudes and stuff like that,” Harris said. “But I realized this is college basketball, it’s always going to be up and down. So, I just took that time to learn, come to practice the next day and go as hard as possible.”

And Forbes, on Johnson: “He didn’t turn it over. And when he’s not doing that, he really helps our team.”

Wake Forest, in general, cut down on its turnovers and that’s one of the reasons for the win; the Deacons committed eight of them. They had a combined 41 turnovers in the last three games.

Wake’s starting frontcourt, Efton Reid III and Tre’Von Spillers, each had 11 points. Spillers came up one rebound shy of what would’ve been his fourth double-double of the season.

The start of the game wasn’t what you’d expect — based both on where Wake Forest has been decent this season and what BC hadn’t done much of.

It was a 13-5 lead for the Eagles less than four minutes into the game, BC scoring on five of its first six possessions — including 3s from Donald Hand Jr., Dion Brown and Elijah Strong.

Despite not showing much of a prowess from beyond the 3-point line this season — especially in the last three games — BC didn’t really cool off from long range. The Eagles entered this game having made 9 of 51 3-pointers; they were 12-for-30 against Wake Forest.

“They were hitting a lot of good shots,” Harris said. “I mean, it was open shots. They took their time and knocked them down.”

Wake Forest got back into the game by playing better defense — BC cooling off, at least temporarily, played a factor — and notching three kills between the 15- and 7-minute marks. That, plus Harris and Johnson’s influence, helped get Wake Forest to halftime with a 38-35 lead.

Those three kills in the first half were half of Wake’s kills in the game; the others were sporadic in the second half, but at least the Deacons ended the game with one. BC’s last field goal came with 3:21 left, and the Eagles only had four free throws after that.

“When they had the ball, the whistle blew. When we had the ball, it didn’t,” Boston College coach Earl Grant said.

BC was 12-for-14 at the free-throw line; Wake Forest was 25-for-34.

TIP-INS: Hildreth’s double-double was his first since a Feb. 3 win over Syracuse last season. He did most of the scoring damage at the free-throw line, going 14-for-18. … Davin Cosby Jr. started the game and played the first four minutes. He had one turnover and was subbed out when Forbes called an early timeout; he didn’t return in the game. Harris started the second half with the other four starters. … Hunter Sallis had nine points, the second time in the last three games he’s been under 10. But he also played a season-low 26 minutes, in part because of a twisted ankle in the second half. … Strong, who’s from Charlotte, led BC with 18 points. Hand had 13 and Payne scored 12 off the bench.