The Demon Deacons continue to search for answers after yet another disappointing performance in front of a home crowd as the SMU Mustangs beat them handily in the Joel Coliseum on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
After struggling with early-game intensity throughout the season, Wake Forest got out to a high-energy start. With a late-night tipoff and a raucous contingent of students in attendance, they fed off the palpable tension to hang with a Mustang squad that began with an aggressive offense. The two teams traded basket-for-basket for the first ten minutes with highlight plays on both ends, including a dunk from junior Myles Colvin.
The Mustangs then began to pull away with a stellar team shooting performance beyond the 3-point line, led by senior guard BJ Edwards. Meanwhile, Wake Forest made only 3-of-16 3-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes. Edwards scored three of the Mustangs’ eight first-half 3’s as they took a 45-36 advantage into halftime.
After more back-and-forth in the first minutes of the second half, the Deacs got their deficit down to four points but reached an inflection point. Instead of capitalizing on a Mustang miss, Wake Forest was unable to corral the rebound, and Mustang senior Boopie Miller landed a bucket.
The Demon Deacons turned the ball over on two of their next four possessions, and the Mustangs went on a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 60-46. Where Wake Forest could have made a push to swing the game in their favor, they instead lost all their momentum. There wasn’t much more fight from the home side.
The SMU lead stayed in double-digits the rest of the game, getting as high as 22 points. 27 points from Juke Harris, 19 from Tre’Von Spillers and 17 from Myles Colvin weren’t nearly enough to make a difference. After an 8-0 run in garbage time, the Mustangs prevailed 91-79.
After an inspiring start to the season, the Demon Deacons have now lost five of their last seven games. Head Coach Steve Forbes spoke postgame about his team’s struggles as of late, especially at home:
“We’ve gotten beaten by double digits by Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and now SMU. So yeah, it’s frustrating for me,” Forbes said. “I’ve always prided myself and our program on winning, being really good at home, and we haven’t been … if I could snap my fingers and tell you there’s a reason, I’d tell you. I don’t have an answer for that right now.”
With multiple talented players underperforming and several high-value opportunities remaining in the ACC schedule, the Deacs must now win some games as underdogs down the stretch to have any chance at a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
