Wake Forest Men’s Basketball has their fifth win of the season, defeating the Western Carolina Catamounts handily at home, 82-69.
Offensively, Wake Forest found a familiar duo producing in their normal ways, with both Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth at the center of the Demon Deacons’ playmaking.
“Our emphasis tonight was to make Sallis and Hildreth pass the ball,” Western Carolina Head Coach Tim Craft said. “They’re both so good at scoring at the basket and in the midrange that we need to make them give the ball up.”
Both Hildreth and Sallis would create — and make — shots. The two accounted for a combined 38 points and 11 of the teams’ assists. The Demon Deacons’ 17 total assists on the night represented their most of the season so far.
The Demon Deacons also broke their rough shooting stretch from beyond the 3-point line, with guard Parker Friedrichsen going 4-8 from deep. Davin Cosby Jr. also scored two 3-pointers in his second straight start.
“It was really good to see Parker and Devin both make shots together,” Wake Forest Head Coach Steve Forbes said. “The game’s a lot easier when the ball goes in the hole.”
The Catamounts’ scoring was led through guards Ice Emery and Cord Stansberry, who scored 20 points apiece. Despite both players scoring well, the Demon Deacons forced the Catamounts to commit 21 turnovers- the most by a Wake Forest opponent since the 2021-22 season.
“We turned them over 21 times, and that’s a big difference-maker,” Forbes said.
Center Efton Reid III played the first six minutes before asking to be substituted out of the game. Reid did not leave the locker room or return to the game after experiencing a migraine.
“[Reid] has had a lifetime of fighting migraines,” Forbes said. “He tried, and I could tell it was going to be tough — and after the first five minutes, he just couldn’t go.”
In his place, sophomore DePaul transfer Churchill Abass (3 PTS, 2 REB, 3 BLK) played his first significant minutes of the season. Although Abass’ performance didn’t translate well to the scoresheet, Forbes praised the little things he brought to the floor.
“[Abass] brought tremendous energy off the bench,” Forbes said. “He’s such a hard worker, and as we climb the ladder of competition [difficulty], we’re going to need him.”
Abass and the rest of the Demon Deacons reached a 24-point lead midway through the second half, however, the Catamounts rallied around a 19-8 run in the last six minutes to lose by a 13-point margin, 82-69.
“At the end of the game, we weren’t very sharp, and that’s because of our rebounding,” Forbes said. “We can’t be a good defensive team unless we rebound the ball.”
The Demon Deacons face Detroit-Mercy on Saturday, Nov. 23rd, at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on ACCNX.
