Wake Forest University
15-4,5-3ACC
Georgia Tech
7-10,1-6ACC
Wake Forest Picks Up Road Win at Georgia Tech
1/19/2022 9:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Deacs held the Yellow Jackets to 38.5 percent shooting while connecting on 56.9 percent of their attempts thanks to 23 assists.
ATLANTA, Ga. - The Wake Forest men's basketball team defeated Georgia Tech, 80-64, on Wednesday evening for the team's first victory in McCamish Pavilion and first victory at Georgia Tech since 2004.
In total, the Wake Forest (15-4, 5-3 ACC) defense held Georgia Tech (7-10, 1-6 ACC) to 38.5 percent shooting (25-of-65) and forced 15 turnovers, the most turnovers the team has forced against an ACC opponent this season. The Demon Deacons have now held five of their first eight ACC opponents to below-40 percent shooting.
The Demon Deacon offense shot 56.9 percent from the field (33-of-58) thanks to 23 assists, their third game this season with at least 20 assists. This marks the first time Wake Forest has tallied at least 20-plus assists in multiple games since the 2016-17 campaign. Additionally, it is the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Deacs have recorded 20-plus assists in multiple ACC games.
Alondes Williams and Jake LaRavia led the charge with nine assists, while Carter Whitt recorded a trio of dimes with Whitt's assists all coming during a crucial point right before the halftime interval.
Williams led Wake Forest with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Isaiah Mucius added in 18 points with a season-high eight made field goals, followed by LaRavia with 13 points.
Dallas Walton and Daivien Williamson rounded out double-figure scores with 11 apiece, marking the fourth contest this season with five Demon Deacons reaching double figures.
In his first game as a Demon Deacon, Damari Monsanto recorded six points with a pair of three pointers. Additionally, Monsanto pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
How It Happened
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Dallas Walton scored the Deacs' first four points of the contest.
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Damari Monsanto cashed in his first points as a Demon Deacon from downtown, his triple giving Wake Forest a 13-10 lead with 12:27 on the clock.
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Daivien Williamson's first triple of the night extended the Deacs' lead to 20-16 with just over eight minutes remaining until halftime.
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A minute later, Williamson connected on a turnaround jumper to put the team up 24-18 going into the under-8 timeout.
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Alondes Williams knocked down a field goal from beyond the arc, bringing the team's lead to 27-21 with just over five minutes until the intermission.
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Carter Whitt found Williams and Isaiah Mucius at the rim for dunks on consecutive possessions, Mucius' dunk providing the Deacs with a seven-point lead (35-28) with 1:36 remaining in the opening period.
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Whitt knocked down a floater as time expired to give Wake Forest a 37-33 lead going into halftime.
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Seven of the eight Demon Deacons who saw the floor in the first half scored, led by Isaiah Mucius' eight points. As a whole, the team shot 16-of-29 from the field (0.552) in the first half, with 11 of 16 baskets coming off assists.
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On the other end, the Deacs held the Yellow Jackets to 40 percent shooting in the first half (14-of-35) and forced eight turnovers.
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Walton again struck first in the second half, this time with a hookshot.
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Mucius drained his first three-pointer of the contest to put an end to an 8-2 Georgia Tech run that tied the game at 41.
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Moments later, Mucius answered a Yellow Jacket triple with his own triple to give Wake Forest a 47-44 lead with 15:28 remaining in the game.
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Monsanto knocked down his second triple and Williams rolled in a layup on the next possession to retake the lead (54-51) with just under 12 minutes to go in regulation.
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Following a timeout, LaRavia chipped in a basket to complete a 7-0 run and extend the team's lead to five (56-51) with 11:20 remaining in the contest.
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Walton converted a three-point play at the free throw line, extending the Deacs' lead to six (59-53) with 9:33 on the game clock.
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Williams bookended a 10-0 run with a layup and pair of makes at the stripe to give Wake Forest a 69-56 advantage with under six minutes until the final buzzer.
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Williamson and LaRavia each contributed three points during the run.
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Williamson's third three-pointer of the night extended the Deacs' lead to 16 (74-58) with four minutes left to play.
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The Wake Forest defense held Georgia Tech to just two points over four and a half minutes of game time.
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After Mucius scored the final four points of the contest, Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech, 80-64.
Key Moment
The Deacs were locked into a back-and-forth battle with the Yellow Jackets for much of the second half, until the team was finally able to separate themselves thanks to a 10-0 run inside the closing minutes of the game.
The run came in response to a Georgia Tech layup that narrowed the Deacs' lead to three (59-56) with 8:31 left in the game. Alondes Williams opened the run with a layup and pair of makes from the free throw line, and received help from Williamson and LaRavia, who each contributed three points.
The Wake Forest defense held Georgia Tech to just 2-of-8 shooting and forced five turnovers over the final eight minutes of the second half.
Stat of the Game
Wake Forest dished out 23 assists tonight against Georgia Tech, their third game this season with at least 20 assists. This marks the first time Wake Forest has tallied at least 20-plus assists in three games since the 2016-17 campaign.
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Additionally, this marks the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Deacs have recorded 20-plus assists in multiple games in ACC play
Coach's Comments
"I'm super proud of our team. It was a back-and-forth game and it seemed like we couldn't build a 10-point lead for the longest time, but we have a tough group. They're tested, they're tough and they just kept hanging in there. We got some stops and got into transition starting around the eight minute mark of the second half.
The key to the game was getting rebounds and turning them over so we could get into transition because, at times, it can be hard to score against the zone. So credit to the players, they were fantastic and made plays when the game was in the balance.
And credit to our staff, Coach Shay and Coach McKie had the defensive game plan and adjustments and did a really good job making sure our players knew what was going on during the game. And on offense, Coach Woodley was instrumental in keeping us ahead of the game. Everybody stepped up and we wanted to do what we did tonight for Coach Forbes." - assistant coach Brooks Savage
Up Next
Wake Forest will return home for a rivalry matchup on Saturday, January 22 against North Carolina.
Tipoff in LJVM Coliseum is set for 8 p.m. and the game will air live on ACC Network.
