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Thomas, Mitoglou Lead Wake Forest Over UMBC in Season-Opener
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Behind double-doubles from Devin Thomas and Konstantinos Mitoglou, Wake Forest men's basketball pulled out a hard-fought 78-73 victory over UMBC in its season opener Friday night at LJVM Coliseum.
Thomas scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead the Deacs while Mitoglou followed close behind with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Off the bench, John Collins rounded out the Wake Forest double-figure scorers with 10 points on 5-of-7 from the floor.
The Retrievers were led by Jourdan Grant, who finished with 20 points and a game-high five assists. He led UMBC's four double-digit scorers, as both Malcolm L. Brent and Rodney Elliot tallied 13 points while Joe Sherburne finished with 12.
Wake Forest took a 41-40 lead into halftime after Thomas scored on a layup with 30 second left in the half. His bucket followed a 3-pointer from Sherburne with 47 seconds to go in the frame, which gave the Retrievers a 40-39 lead. Wake Forest was jumpstarted early in the contest by Thomas and Mitoglou, as the two combined for the Deacs' first 14 points of the night. Though a combined 81 points were scored in the first half, 20 of them came with the clock stopped at the free throw line as the two teams combining for 28 fouls in the opening 20 minutes. In the first half, Wake Forest shot 13-of-17 from the free throw line while UMBC converted just 7-of-16 at the charity stripe.
The largest lead of the game for either team saw Wake Forest up by six points on two occasions, the first coming with 6:32 left in the first half after Mitchell Wilbeken hit two free throws to put the Deacs up 29-23. The second six-point lead came with less than a minute to play in the game after Bryant Crawford hit two free throws to put Wake Forest up 77-71.
Thomas and Mitoglou's effort on the boards helped Wake Forest outrebound UMBC by a convincing 59-36 margin, which included a 24-11 advantage on the offensive glass. Combining that with the Deacs shooting 23-of-30 from the free throw line to UMBC's 12-of-25 helped determine the outcome in the end. The 59 rebounds marked the first time the Demon Deacons pulled down more than 50 boards in a game since the Nov. 21 contest last season against Iona, a game in which Wake Forest earned 55 rebounds.
Overall, the Deacs shot 37.7 percent on 26-of-69 from the floor. Most of the damage was done in the paint, as Wake Forest tallied 40 of its 78 points close to the rim with 25 points coming on second efforts. UMBC was efficient from the floor, shooting 26-of-65 (40 percent) with a 9-for-25 (36 percent) clip from long range.
The Demon Deacons return to action on Sunday, Nov. 15, on the road against Bucknell. The opening tip between the Deacs and Bison is set for 1 p.m. in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The game can be seen on live CBS Sports Network. Wake Forest will return home on Wednesday, Nov. 18, for a 7 p.m. game against Richmond prior to heading out to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Thomas and Mitoglou Steal the Show in Season Opener vs. UMBC - By Emma Lingan
Senior forward Devin Thomas and sophomore forward Dinos Mitoglou finished with impressive -- and similar -- stat lines in Wake Forest's 78-73 win over UMBC Friday night. Mitoglou finished with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for his second career double-double, and he tied his career-high three blocks. Thomas scored 21 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for his 22nd career double-double, making him the ACC's active leader in this category.
Thomas and Mitoglou combined to score Wake Forest's first 15 points of the game, and Mitoglou became the first Demon Deacon to reach double figures with a pair of free throws late in the first half. Thomas and Mitoglou had 13 points and six rebounds apiece heading into halftime.
UMBC scored the first four points of the second half to take a 44-41 lead, but Mitoglou answered with four quick points of his own to put the Deacs back up 45-44. Thomas dominated the boards in the second half, and he led the Demon Deacons with four assists on the night.
This marked the first time two Demon Deacons had double-doubles in the same games since Thomas and Mitoglou accomplished the feat last season (11/21/14 vs. Iona). Thomas finished with 12 points and 18 rebounds in that game, and Mitoglou finished with 10 and 11, respectively.
