27 years and counting.
Wake Forest (16-8, 8-5) suffered their 25th consecutive loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night, falling to the Duke Blue Devils (18-5, 10-3), 77-69.
Simply put, the entirety of the first half was a slugfest on both sides. Each team struggled from the floor, going into halftime with abysmal percentages from the field (28.2% WF, 35.5% Duke).
“We’re playing Duke in Cameron [Indoor Stadium],” Wake Forest Head Coach Steve Forbes said. “If you get an open shot, that’s a victory. You have to step up and make those [baskets].”
No players were made available for comment.
Despite the poor first-half shooting from the Demon Deacons, they kept themselves in the game with stellar play from Hunter Sallis (22pts, 5rebs). Sallis, coming off a career-high 33 points against NC State on Saturday, proved crucial to Wake Forest’s chances yet again, this time set on a national stage.
Another spark came in the form of an unlikely hero — freshman Parker Friedrichsen (10pts, 3-6 FG). Despite this game being his first time at the notoriously tough Cameron Indoor, the first-year from Bixby, Oklahoma, seemed to embrace the environment. Between knocking down a pair of three-pointers, to creating a team-high +8 plus-minus rating, Friedrichsen earned valuable time on the floor throughout the second half.
“Hunter [Sallis] and Parker [Friedrichsen] were really the only two that could get going tonight,” Forbes said.
Despite the duo of Sallis and Friedrichsen, the Demon Deacons could never gain a lead over the entirety of the game. The Blue Devils led for 38 minutes, with the game sparsely tied throughout the game.
The Blue Devils were able to separate themselves through double-doubles by Kyle Filipowski (21pts, 10rebs) and Jared McCain (17pts, 10rebs). Forward Mark Mitchell (23pts, 8rebs, 9-14 FG) also took advantage of Wake Forest’s foul trouble at a key position.
The Demon Deacons’ largest question mark happened to be their largest presence on the court. Center Efton Reid III (8pts, 3-6 FG) only played around 14 minutes due to foul trouble. Despite missing a majority of the game, Reid’s plus-minus rating read at +6 when the clock struck zeroes — creating a hypothetical “what if” situation had he been able to play for longer.
Additionally, the Demon Deacons’ offensive productivity from three main players, Damari Monsanto (6pts, 2-9 3PT), Cameron Hildreth (6 pts, 1-9 FG) and Kevin “Boopie” Miller (3 pts, 1-9 FG) didn’t help their cause, either.
“We had to do what we had to do to stay in the game,” Forbes said. “When you have Damari [Monsanto], Cameron [Hildreth] and Boopie [Miller] shooting 4-26, it’s tough to win that way for us or anything.”
Despite the loss, the Demon Deacons did show that their rematch with the Blue Devils in less than two weeks’ time is not going to be easy.
“I think Wake Forest is a big-time team,” Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer said. “They don’t get the amount of respect they deserve. I don’t know how you look at them and say they’re not a tournament team.”
The Demon Deacons look to bounce back at the Virginia Cavaliers’ John Paul Jones Arena this Saturday, Feb. 17. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. on ESPN2.
