Wake Forest University
17-10,9-7ACC
Miami
22-5,13-4ACC
Wake Forest Falls to No. 15 Hurricanes in High-Scoring Road Matchup
2/18/2023 4:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Six Demon Deacons scored in double-figures on Saturday afternoon.
MIAMI, Fla. – Stepping back onto the hardwood following a bye week of competition, the Wake Forest men's basketball team took on a major road challenge during Saturday afternoon (Feb. 18), visiting No. 15 Miami. The contest resulted as an absolute barn-burner, with both sides going toe-for-toe before the host Hurricanes (22-5, 13-4) ultimately kept its home record perfect on a 96-87 finish.
The Demon Deacons moved to 17-10 on the season, now holding a 9-7 record through Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play.
For the second time this season, six Deacs reached double-figures in scoring. Tyree Appleby did most of his offensive work in the second half to record a team-high 15 points. The ACC's assists leader additionally tossed out nine dimes to lead all individuals.
Cameron Hildreth and Damari Monsanto added 14 points apiece, as the former chipped in eight assists and a team-best three steals. Andrew Carr, Matthew Marsh, and Daivien Williamson each ended with 12 points. Williamson was efficient from three-point range, drilling four of eight attempts. Marsh was perfect from the floor (5-of-5 on field goals) for the sixth straight appearance.
Bobi Klintman came close to recording a double-double, finishing the day with eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
Through the afternoon showing, Wake Forest shot 55.2 percent from the field, going 32-of-58. The Deacs are one of just three teams to shoot 55 percent or better against Miami this season. Additionally, the team's 87 points made Wake Forest one of just two programs to register over 85 points against the Hurricanes this year. From outside the arc, the Deacs went 15-of-35 on a 42.9 percent shooting clip.
Sharing the ball well, the Deacons ended with 22 assists on 32 made baskets.
Wake Forest stays on the road for their final Big Four matchup of the season Wednesday night (Feb. 22) at NC State. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET in PNC Arena and the game will air live on regional Bally Sports networks.
Standout Stats
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Wake Forest is the only ACC team and just one of two teams this season to score more than 85 points on the Hurricanes, finishing with 87.
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Maryland scored 88 on the Canes on Nov. 20.
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For the first time since South Carolina State on Nov. 23, six players finished in double figures, including all five starters.
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Tyree Appleby - 15 points
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Cameron Hildreth - 14 points
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Damari Monsanto - 14 points
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Andrew Car - 12 points
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Matthew Marsh - 12 points
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Daivien Williamson - 12 points
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How It Happened
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Monsanto opened the scoring for Wake Forest with a catch-and-shoot three pointer off a Hildreth assist.
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The Demon Deacons went on a 9-0 run over a 3:06 minute span to take a 12-11
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Monsanto opened the run with his second triple of the contest.
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Hildreth found Klintman inside for an open dunk before Appleby took advantage of a Miami turnover with a close-ranged jumpshot at the 14:51 mark.
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Appleby closed out the run with a driving layup.
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Marsh tied the game at 15-15 with a three-point play, as the sophomore big man got fouled on a second-chance dunk and converted the following free throw.
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Hildreth used good footwork in the paint to create space for a layup with 12:37 remaining in the half.
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Klintman gave Wake Forest a 20-19 lead with a three following a kick-out from Marsh.
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Marsh continued the Deacs' hot offensive start with his second basket in the paint of the afternoon at the 11:16 mark.
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Wake Forest opened the contest shooting 9-of-12 (75 percent) from the floor.
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Williamson got in on the action with a second-chance three-pointer and regained a two-point lead for Wake Forest at the under-eight media timeout.
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Appleby picked up his third assist of the game with a dish inside for Marsh's second slam.
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For the second time of the contest, Marsh hauled in an offensive rebound and found Williamson for an open triple as Wake Forest took a 32-29 lead with six minutes to go in the first half.
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Wake Forest picked up 11 second-chance points over the first 14 minutes of action on four offensive rebounds.
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Hildreth came out of the under-four media timeout with back-to-back baskets and picked up an assist on a Klintman triple as Wake Forest cut the deficit to three with 2:13 to go in the half.
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Williamson knocked down his third three-pointer of the half to make it 42-44 at the 1:43 mark.
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Hildreth continued his solid all-around performance as he closed out the first half with a pair of free throws.
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Wake Forest trailed, 44-47, at the break.
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Williamson led the Deacs in scoring with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
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Hildreth finished the first half with eight points, four assists and a steal.
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As a team, Wake Forest shot 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) from the floor and went 5-for-5 from the line.
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Williamson opened the second-half scoring for Wake Forest with a three-pointer off a Klintman dish.
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Appleby knocked down a triple of his own before finding Carr for a dunk on the next possession as the Deacs cut the deficit to eight with 15:51 to go.
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Hildreth reached double-digit points with a driving layup as Appleby picked up his fifth assist.
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Appleby connected on his second and third triples of the second half and kept Wake Forest within single digits with under 13 minutes remaining.
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The Deacs knocked down six of their last eight field goals headed into the under-12 media timeout.
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Hildreth brought the Deacs to within seven with a turnaround jump shot at the 10:58 mark.
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A pair of Hildreth free throws followed by another Marsh dunk cut it to 68-71 with 8:55 remaining.
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Marsh kept Wake Forest within a possession with his second three-point play of the contest.
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Appleby continued his hot second half with a dunk and an assist on a Carr layup to keep the game close with under five minutes remaining.
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Monsanto connected from deep off another Appleby assist to cut the deficit back to five with 4:30 remaining.
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Hildreth found Monsanto for his fourth triple before Carr capitalized on a Miami turnover with a three-pointer of his own to make it 84-90 at the 2:22 mark.
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Carr connected on another three with 42 seconds left to keep Wake Forest in the contest.
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The late comeback effort fell short as Wake Forest fell to Miami, 87-96.
Coach's Comments
"Congrats to Miami. We haven't played everybody in the league yet, we still have one more to play Syracuse. The last game of the year which makes absolutely no sense. Miami is the best offensive team that we've played this year. Tremendous offensive team. Omier got them off to a great start by running to the corner and making a three. He played with great energy and got them off to a great start in the first half. You know, Isaiah Wong is one of the premier players in our league. He's hard to guard and a hard guy to guard off the bounce. Then when he makes threes he's almost impossible to defend. Pack is a great addition to their team. He made a couple of timely three's there late when we were making a run.
You know, if you ask coaches in the league, for me, Cameron Hildreth and Jordan Miller are two of the most improved players in the ACC this year. They've got a really good basketball team. It was a great crowd, very energetic. It was a fun building to play in. We got off to a bad start in both halves. Even though we cut it to three at the half and we were in good shape, we had the chance to tie it twice. The first two possessions of the second half were wide open threes by guys who can really shoot the three. We missed them and then they got some momentum going. They got the lead up to double digits and we went to the triangle and two on Pack and Wong. That helped us get back in the game, but turnovers at the end of the day, that really hurt us." - head coach Steve Forbes
Upcoming
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Wednesday, Feb. 22 - at NC State - 9 p.m. // Regional Bally Sports Networks
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Saturday, Feb. 25 - vs Notre Dame - 7 p.m. // ACC Network
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Tuesday, Feb. 28 - vs Boston College - 7 p.m. // ESPNU
