Wake Forest University
North Carolina
Deacons Unable to Cool Down #15 North Carolina
1/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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By Jay Garneau, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest was unable to slow down the offensive attack of No. 15 North Carolina, falling 87-71 to the Tar Heels inside the LJVM Coliseum on Wednesday night.
Codi Miller-McIntyre reached the 20-point plateau for the second straight game, also chipping in six rebounds and six assists to lead the Demon Deacons.
Devin Thomas turned in his eighth double-double of the year, tallying 12 points and 12 boards.
UNC (15-4, 5-1 ACC) shot better than 60 percent from the field, and scored 50 points in the paint. Both were the highest totals Wake Forest (9-10, 1-5 ACC) has allowed this year.
The opening half was back-and-forth, featuring six ties. A Thomas dunk and pair of Mitchell Wilbekin free throws gave Wake Forest a 22-20 lead with seven minutes to play, but UNC scored six straight to retake the lead.
After a Miller-McIntyre 3-pointer cut UNC's lead to 36-34 with 56 seconds left in the opening half, UNC responded with a layup. After a Wake Forest timeout, the Deacons missed a 3-pointer and UNC scored a quick bucket to head into the break with the momentum and a 40-34 lead.
The Tar Heels picked up where they left off to start the second half, using a 12-4 spurt to take a 52-38 advantage, not allowing the Demon Deacons within single figures the rest of the contest.
UNC was able to avoid any Wake Forest runs by shooting 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the field in the second half, including a perfect 3-of-3 from long range.
Wilbekin finished with 10 points and Konstantinos Mitoglou also scored 10 points, all in the second half.
UNC LAY-UPS
• The Tar Heels shot 65.3 percent from inside the arc, compared to 47.2 percent for the Deacons.
• UNC out-scored Wake Forest in the paint, 50-26.
• The Demon Deacons hadn't allowed more than 40 points in the paint in a game this season. The previous high was 40 against Richmond.
THOMAS STILL ROLLING
• Devin Thomas posted his third consecutive double-double, his fourth of the past five games.
• He is averaging close to a double-double this season, holding marks of 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.
FILLING THE STAT SHEET
• Codi Miller-McIntyre had another well-rounded game, totaling 20 points, six boards and six assists.
• He has now scored at least 15 points eight times, has pulled down at least five rebounds in 13 games, and dished out at least five assists on seven occasions.
ON DECK
• The Demon Deacons hit the road for a pair of games, traveling to Clemson on January 24 at noon and to Florida State on January 28 at 7 p.m.
Thomas breaks into top 20 in school history in rebounding
By Emma Lingan
Junior forward Devin Thomas was one of four Demon Deacons to reach double figures in Wake Forest's 87-71 loss to North Carolina Wednesday night. In addition to his 12 points, Thomas led all players with 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season and 17th of his career. He ranks second in the ACC in both categories.
With 670 career rebounds, Thomas now ranks in the top 20 all-time in school history. He ranks second in the ACC and first among the junior class in career rebounds. His 25 career double-figure rebounding games lead all active ACC players.
Thomas pulled down five offensive boards for Wake Forest, leading the Demon Deacons to a 13-9 rebounding advantage on the offensive end. Thomas is on track to reach 800 career rebounds this season.
"That's my role on the team, to rebound," Thomas said. "That's how we win games."
