Wake Forest University
Coastal Carolina
Deacs Top Coastal Carolina, Win Fifth Straight
12/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Dec. 18, 2015
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's basketball team won its fifth-consecutive game, defeating Coastal Carolina, 83-77, at the LJVM Coliseum on Friday evening. The victory upped the Demon Deacons' record on the season to 8-2, including a 4-1 ledger at home.
The Deacs' win streak matches their longest since they won the first five games of the 2013-14 season.
Freshman Bryant Crawford's 19 points led five Deacons in double figures. Greg McClinton, who set a new career high, and Konstantinos Mitoglou scored 13 points apiece. Crawford set a career mark with five 3-pointers and also matched a season best with nine assists.
Coastal Carolina led by a two-point margin early in the first half, but a 9-0 Deacon run put the hosts in control for good.
With his team trailing, 6-4, Crawford drained his first three of the night. Seconds later, Codi Miller-McIntyre stripped the ball from Coastal Carolina's Jaylen Shaw at mid-court and finished the play with a layup. Crawford then stole the inbounds pass to give the Deacs a possession that ended with John Collins making a pair of free throws.
The seven-point swing occurred over a span of 21 seconds. Collins added another two-point basket to complete the nine-point run.
The Demon Deacons led by as many as 11 in the opening 20 minutes and matched their largest halftime lead of the season, going into the break with a 36-27 cushion.
In the second half, an early 3-pointer by Mitoglou gave the Deacons their biggest lead of the year at 43-29. Wake Forest remained in front by shooting 63 percent from the field in the stanza, but the Chanticleers stayed in the game by shooting 65 percent in the frame.
With 1:23 to play, Coastal Carolina trimmed its deficit to two points at 77-75, but a pair of Mitoglou free throws and back-to-back layups by McClinton put the game out of reach.
Wake Forest caps a season-long four-game homestand Tuesday at 7 p.m. against No. 10-ranked Xavier in the fifth edition of the Skip Prosser Classic. The Deacs cap non-conference play on Dec. 29 on the road against LSU.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
• With its 83-77 win against Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest is now 6-0 on the season in games decided by six points or fewer.
MOVING UP THE RECORD BOOKS
• By recording two blocks against Coastal Carolina, Devin Thomas now has 118 for his career, good for eighth in Deacon history.
CODI'S BACK
• In his second game back from a foot injury that sidelined him for the season's first eight games, senior guard Codi Miller-McIntyre scored 10 points, including his first 3-pointer of the season, and added five assists in 24 minutes played.
• Miller-McIntyre's five assists give him 356 for his career, tying Tony Rutland for 11th in Wake Forest history.
HELP FROM THE FRESHMEN
• Freshman guard Bryant Crawford had one of the best games in his young Wake Forest career, leading Wake Forest with 19 points and nine assists.
• Crawford made a career-high five 3-pointers and tied a career best with nine assists. He is the first Demon Deacon freshman to ever record nine assists and score five 3-pointers in the same game.
• Friday's effort by Crawford marked the 14th time a Wake Forest freshman hit five or more shots from beyond the arc and the 14th time (second by Crawford) that a Deacon rookie had nine or more assists.
• With Devin Thomas in foul trouble, freshman forward John Collins stepped up to record 12 points and five rebounds.
• This was Collins' seventh double-figure scoring game in 10-career contests. He has played more than 20 minutes only once.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHS
• Bryant Crawford led the Deacs with 19 points, the fourth time this season he has led the team in scoring.
• Crawford also recorded career-highs in made 3-pointers (five), field goal percentage (60 percent) and tied a career-high with nine assists.
• Freshman center Doral Moore tied a career-high with four rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Cornelius Hudson notched a career-high six assists.
• Sophomore forward Greg McClinton recorded a career-high 13 points with his game-sealing layup in the final minute.
• As a team, Wake Forest attempted a season-high 24 3-pointers and tied their season-high with nine 3-pointers made.
SEASON TRENDS
• Wake Forest outrebounded the Chanticleers, 34-25. This marks the seventh time in 10 games the Deacs have outrebounded their opponent.
• Wake Forest outshot Coastal Carolina overall in the game, shooting 55.4 percent compared to the Chanticleers' 49.1 percent mark. This marks the fourth-straight game in which the Deacs have outshot their opponent.
