RALEIGH – He slammed his hands on the court in jubilation but it was a short-lived celebration. Dave Holmes thought the jump ball he forced with 13.6 seconds remaining would give the ball to Manhattan, trailing 82-80, for one last shot at an upset victory over Wake Forest.

Then reality hit. The possession arrow was pointed toward Wake Forest.

“I think it’s the greatest rule ever invented,” Demon Deacons coach Skip Prosser deadpanned.

“Obviously the alternate possession rule today, for us, was the worst rule in the history of college basketball,” Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez said with a sigh after his club fell short and lost 84-80.

It was a rough ending for Holmes, a senior forward. He botched a defensive assignment by rushing to guard Chris Paul, not realizing that teammate Kenny Minor was on the scene. Holmes’ man, Trent Strickland, was left wide open and Paul found him for a dunk with 11.1 seconds left.

“I take the full blame for it because I’m a senior, lack of communication,” Holmes said. “Yeah, sick feeling to see he was that wide open.”