WINSTON-SALEM — They did the wave in Lawrence Joel Coliseum on Sunday night right in the middle of Wake Forest’s 92-70 rout of 15th-ranked Virginia.

Thankfully, it wasn’t that silly American wave that breaks out during baseball games, spreading from one bleacher section to the next like the flu. No, this wave actually made perfect sense.

The wavers were a pair of high school students from Lithuania. The object they were waving was the green, red and yellow flag of their native land. The reason they were proudly waving it was the inspired play of their Demon Deacon countrymen Darius Songaila and Vytas Danelius.

Danelius, a freshman making the first of many career starts, and Songaila, a senior stud making one of his last ones, combined for 43 points and 19 rebounds to train-wreck the Cavaliers (16-7, 6-6).

Songaila, who sank his first 10 field-goal attempts, nailed all eight of his free throws and powered in a career-high 30 points, did the majority of the damage, but admitted that his heir apparent is even more popular.

“Those Lithuanian kids with the flag — it was Vytas they asked to speak to after the game, not to me,” he said with a grin.

Proof that the sinewy Songaila has a sense of humor as well as a deadly post-up game. Songaila did some collateral damage, too. The Cavs had to double-team the big guy and that uncaged senior bomber Craig Dawson, who popped in five 3s and scored 17 points.

“Darius was playing so unbelievable,” said Dawson. “All we had to do was find ways to get it to him.”

Wake (18-8, 8-4) shot 57.9 percent from the floor to easily avenge its 12-point loss in Charlottesville, prevent Virginia’s first home-and-home series sweep in a dozen years and successfully put Wednesday’s dizzying 118-115 loss to Clemson in the rearview mirror.

“The Clemson loss was disheartening,” admitted Deac coach Skip Prosser, who worked under Virginia head coach Pete Gillen when they were at Xavier. “But tonight we got back up off the deck. This was perhaps our best game. Playing without (injured star Josh) Howard and still scoring 92 says a lot about these kids.”

The 19th-ranked Deacs, who had lost two straight, needed this one badly. Duke (at home Thursday) and Maryland (on the road Sunday) are next on the schedule.

Wake never trailed after Songaila scored off the opening tip. In fact, Wake’s Lithuanian legion scored its first eight points for an 8-3 lead.

Then Antwan Scott came off the bench and impacted the game within seconds of his arrival. Scott flushed a rebound, blocked a shot and sank his second 3-pointer of the season to ignite a Deacon surge.

The Deacs had things under control at 53-35 by the break, despite 22 sensational first-half points by Virginia guard Roger Mason. The Cavs were ranked fifth nationally not so long ago, but didn’t look like one of the best 500 on Sunday. They shot 33.8 percent, got mauled on the boards and never gave Mason, who finished with a career-best 31 points, any help. Virginia forward Chris Williams, who made third team All-ACC last season, shot 0-for-8 from the floor and offered two rebounds and two points in 24 miserable minutes.

“We aren’t gonna beat anybody in the ACC when Chris scores two,” said Gillen. “But our defense was a bigger story. Fifty-three points in the first half? That’s horrible defense.”

The game ended in embarrassing fashion for the Cavs, who still had regulars on the floor trying to trap the guys who sit at the end of Prosser’s bench. No matter. Walt Chancellor, a walk-on guard, broke Virginia’s press and passed to football player R.D. Montgomery, who dunked emphatically to complete the scoring.

No one waved a flag after Montgomery’s bucket, but the pleased crowd of 12,859 did cheerfully wave goodbye to the cold Cavs.

n