New York ? Taron Downey wasn’t supposed to play. Instead, he thrived.

Playing eight days after an emergency appendectomy, Downey scored a career-high 20 points to lead No. 20 Wake Forest to an 85-76 victory Thursday over Memphis in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

The junior guard was considered questionable for the first game of the college basketball season. He didn’t start for the Demon Deacons as he did in all 31 games last season, but he was the key factor in the second half as they built a 14-point lead with 41/2 minutes to go at Madison Square Garden.

“I’ve been hurting, and coach told me earlier in the week I wouldn’t be playing,” Downey said. “I tried it yesterday, and it felt good.”

Look out if he starts to feel great.

“I was surprised he was even playing,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “He’s a veteran ACC guard. He wasn’t afraid. He knew what to do when he got the ball.”

Downey hit three three-pointers in a 3:15 span of the second half, the last two part of a 13-3 run that gave Wake Forest a 73-59 lead with 4:30 to play.

The first two of the threes came when Jamaal Levy rebounded missed free throws by his teammates and got the ball out to Downey at the three-point line.

“I didn’t think at the time those two baskets were big, but when I look back on it they were,” Downey said.

Marquette guard Travis Diener (34) drives past a St. John's defender in the first half during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The No. 23 Golden Eagles won, 52-45, Thursday in New York.

Calipari called them devastating.

“They took the wind right out of our sails,” he said.

Rodney Carney had 19 points for Memphis, which used pressure defense to keep it close late in the game. But Downey was able to get the lead to 80-70 with 45 seconds to go when he found Vytas Danelius underneath for a dunk.

Downey was 7-for-11 from the field and had five assists in 29 minutes.

Justin Gray added 12 points for Wake Forest, which won its 10th straight season opener. Eric Williams had 11 points and heralded freshman Chris Paul, who started in Downey’s place, added 10 as did Trent Strickland.

“I was hoping Downey wouldn’t play so we could bother Paul,” Calipari said.

Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser was happy with Paul and his classmates.

“The freshmen gave us a good lift,” he said. “Chris Paul will get better and better.”

No. 23 Marquette 52, St. John’s 45

New York — Travis Diener scored 18 points and No. 23 Marquette, despite not having a field goal over the final 4:20, beat St. John’s.

This was a sloppy season opener for two teams looking to replace their stars — Dwyane Wade at Marquette and Marcus Hatten at St. John’s. After one game, both spots still are up for grabs.

Marquette shot 29.6 percent (16-for-54), while the Red Storm were 16-for-51 (31.4 percent). The Golden Eagles had 20 turnovers, two more than St. John’s.

Diener was the offensive star of the game — no one else scored more than 11 points — and he was 3-for-11 from the field, including missing all five of his two-point attempts. He was 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, however, and that’s where Marquette prevailed, going 14-for-16, compared to 11-for-22 for St. John’s.

Grady Reynolds led St. John’s with 11 points, while Kyle Cuffe had 10. The Red Storm were 2-for-12 from three-point range.