After last week’s loss to Florida State, Wake Forest Men’s Basketball needed to bounce back quickly to keep up NCAA Tournament hopes — and they did, traveling to Dallas and beating the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs, 77-66.
The game was hyped up throughout the week, as both Wake Forest and SMU found themselves in contention for NCAA Tournament bids.
Both teams also found themselves without key pieces due to injury. SMU played without former Wake Forest guard Kevin “Boopie” Miller, who sat due to a bruised foot. Wake Forest’s Cameron Hildreth was deemed a game-time decision with a foot contusion and did not suit up for the game.
In Hildreth’s absence came the emergence of guard Parker Friedrichsen. The sophomore had an uncharacteristically slow start throughout the year, struggling from behind the 3-point line throughout the season.
However, on Saturday, Friedrichsen broke out, scoring a season-high 18 points and shooting 5-7 from deep when Wake Forest needed it most.
The Demon Deacons also found scoring through star guard Hunter Sallis (20 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST), who notched his 13th game of the season where he scored over 20 points.
One of the most important aspects of the game was Wake Forest’s defense in the second half, which allowed the Demon Deacons to go on a 19-5 run and gain 17 points.
“There was a point in the game, maybe around the 12:15 mark to about the 3:14 mark [in the second half], where they didn’t make a field goal,” Forbes said. “We were playing a lot more zone at that point and that changed the game a lot.”
SMU’s Chuck Harris (15 PTS, 6 AST), Kario Oquendo (13 PTS, 9 REB) and Matt Cross (11 PTS, 9 REB) each contributed to the Mustangs’ attempt to come back, but it proved too late, as the Demon Deacons prevailed 77-66.
After a tough home loss against Florida State, the Demon Deacons battled adversity and won on the road, something Forbes’ squad did well, earning their sixth road win in conference play.
“We had some adversity on Wednesday where we didn’t finish, and I thought that our team really bounced back with great resiliency today,” Forbes said.
Wake Forest has a bye during the midweek before they head to Tobacco Road rival NC State in Raleigh next Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on The CW.
