Wake Forest University
5-0,0-0ACC
Kennesaw State
2-4,0-0ASUN
Wake Forest Caps Off Homestand with 92-61 Win over Kennesaw State
11/23/2021 11:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Five Demon Deacons scored in double-figures, led by Jake LaRavia’s 19
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest defeated Kennesaw State 92-61 on Tuesday evening to clinch the program's first 5-0 start since the 2013-14 season.
The Demon Deacons (5-0) continued their dominant start to the season on both ends of the floor, finishing the night shooting 56.1 percent from the field, while holding the Owls (2-4) to 37.7 percent shooting and forcing 13 turnovers. The Deacs also controlled Kennesaw State on the glass, finishing with 42 rebounds to the Owls' 26.
With tonight's performance, Wake Forest has now shot better than 50 percent from the field in each of their first five games this season, the first Demon Deacon squad to hit the mark in the 21st century. Additionally, the team has held four of their first five opponents to below 40 percent shooting from the field, becoming the first team to do so since 2009-10.
Jake LaRavia put together another all-around performance, finishing the night with team highs in scoring (19 points), rebounding (seven), assists (six) and steals (two). The junior shot finished 6-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
Isaiah Mucius finished the night with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting including four first half three-pointers. Mucius is the first player to drain four triples in back-to-back games since Jonah Antonio (Nov. 25, 2020 vs. Delaware State and Nov. 27, 2020 vs. Longwood).
Alondes Williams (14 points), Khadim Sy (12 points) and Cameron Hildreth (11 points) also finished in double figures as five Demon Deacons registered at least 10 points for the second time this season.
Williams added seven rebounds and dished out four assists while shooting 6-of-9. Hildreth had a perfect night from the field (3-of-3), beyond the arc (1-of-1) and at the free throw line (4-of-4). The freshman from England also finished with three rebounds and four assists. Sy shot 5-of-7 from the field and contributed on defense as well, notching a block and a steal.
How It Happened
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Mucius found his range from deep early, scoring Wake Forest's first nine points from beyond the arc to give the Demon Deacons a 9-5 lead going into the under-16 timeout.
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Mucius netted his fourth triple just minutes later to bring the score to 14-8 with 14:12 remaining in the first half.
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After Kennesaw State cut the lead to three (18-15), the Deacs responded with a 8-0 run that pushed the lead to 11 (26-15) with 8:53 remaining until halftime.
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The defense forced three turnovers and held the Owls to 0-of-4 shooting during the run.
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Hildreth kicked off the run by going perfect at the stripe, proceeded by six points in the paint from Daivien Williamson, LaRavia, and Carter Whitt.
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Wake Forest entered the bonus with 7:25 left in the period after LaRavia drew the Owls' seventh foul of the first half.
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LaRavia converted both shots at the line and scored a layup on the next possession to push the lead to 14 (33-19) with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
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Hildreth drained his first three-pointer of the night with just over five minutes left in the opening half to increase Wake Forest's lead to 36-23.
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The Deacs entered halftime with a 45-32 lead over the Owls after Khadim Sy connected on his first three-pointer of the night with 10 seconds left.
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Wake Forest shot 64 percent (16-of-25) in the first half, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Mucius led the team in scoring with 12 points (4-of-6 from three), followed by Sy's 11 points (5-of-6 FG), while Hildreth and LaRavia scored nine apiece.
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Dallas Walton scored his first points of the night on a turnaround layup to open up second half scoring for the Deacs.
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LaRavia drained the team's seventh triple of the evening off a skip pass from Williams, pushing the lead to 18.
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Moments later, Williams again found LaRavia - this time for a thunderous alley-oop that brought the Wake Forest advantage to 57-39 with just under 14 minutes to go.
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Williams kicked off a 10-0 run that gave the Deacs their first 20-point lead of the night.
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During the run, Williams knocked down jumpers on consecutive possessions and set up Mucius for a layup with a beautiful assist. Walton then found the net on a hookshot, giving Wake Forest a 23-point lead with 8:25 remaining in the contest.
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Wake Forest did not allow the lead to dip below 17 points for the remainder of the game and ended the final five minutes on a 13-2 run en-route to defeating Kennesaw State 92-61.
Stat of the Game
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This is the first time Wake Forest has opened their season with a 5-0 record since 2013-14.
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In his seven seasons as a Division-I head coach, this is the first season head coach Steve Forbes has started 5-0.
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Key Moment
With Wake Forest holding a 13-point lead, Alondes Williams kicked off a 10-0 run that gave Wake Forest their first 20-point lead of the night.
The graduate forward knocked down jumpers on back-to-back possessions and found Isaiah Mucius under the basket for an open layup after grabbing a defensive rebound. Dallas Walton rounded out the run by converting an and-1 opportunity following a blocked shot.
The run gave the Deacs a 23-point lead with 8:25 left to play and clinched Wake Forest's fifth-straight win to open the 2021-22 campaign.
Coach's Comments
"I thought it was a very workman-like effort tonight from start to finish. I was pleased with the way we shared the ball offensively, it led to us having multiple guys in double-figures again tonight. Defensively, I liked the way we rebounded the ball. All in all, I was very pleased with how we played tonight."
Up Next
Following Thanksgiving, the Demon Deacons will head south to the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla. to face Oregon State on Friday, Nov. 26 in the second round of the Emerald Coast Classic.
Tip-off against the Beavers is set for 9:30 p.m. ET and the game will air live on CBS Sports.
