It’s never an easy game when Wake Forest takes on Boston College, and the Demon Deacons’ first away conference test proved no exception.
The back-and-forth matchup was up for grabs until the waning seconds when forward Andrew Carr knocked down a 3-pointer with 11.5 seconds remaining. Seconds later, guard Cameron Hildreth’s steal and fast-break layup iced the Eagles (9-4, 0-2) and secured an 84-78 victory for the Demon Deacons (10-3, 2-0).
The away win marks Wake Forest’s eighth-straight victory and the first outside of Winston-Salem since mid-November.
Boston College attacked the low post throughout the first half with All-ACC caliber forward Quinten Post (20 pts, 3 reb, 2 blk) and Devin McGlockton (15 pts, 9 reb, 7 off. reb) to keep the Demon Deacons at bay. The Eagles’ lead grew with early foul trouble from guard Kevin “Boopie” Miller (17 pts, 7 ast, 2 stl), guard Hunter Sallis (21 pts, 3 ast, 3 reb) and center Efton Reid III (13 pts, 14 reb). Head Coach Steve Forbes was forced to take his offensive and defensive centerpieces out of the game.
The trio would return to the court later in the half, sparking runs to close the double-digit deficit to a more manageable 40-36 deficit at halftime.
“I just didn’t think we were very sharp in the first half, and [the Eagles] were,” Forbes said. “They took the game to us, but as the game wore on, we kind of found our rhythm and played a lot better. We were playing hard the whole game; we just weren’t always playing smart.”
The Demon Deacons came out of the halftime break in stride, going on an 11-2 run to take the lead. Playing through the post — which had been Boston College’s offensive forte in the first half — was now prevented by Reid’s defensive presence. The seven-footer nabbed 10 of his 14 rebounds in the second half and ended up at the free throw line during multiple possessions. Offensive production awoke after the break as well, as Hildreth (18 pts, 3-4 3PT) took control of the paint.
“One of our identity pieces is we’re trying to be a gritty, grimy, tough team, and in the second half, we were,” Forbes said. “The start of the second half really changed the game. We came out and guarded a lot better.”
Wake Forest finished the game shooting 54.4% from the field, 47.6% from behind the three-point line and 92.3% from the charity stripe. Despite 10 turnovers, the team created 17 assists — their most of the season.
“Any win on the road is good, and we’ll take it and go home,” Forbes said.
Wake Forest returns to Winston-Salem to take on the Miami Hurricanes (10-2, 1-0) on Saturday, Jan. 6. The game will tip off at 2:15 p.m. on The CW.
