In dire need of a win after a five-game losing streak, Wake Forest Men’s Basketball traveled to McCamish Pavilion to play Georgia Tech on Feb. 11. With the Demon Deacons entering this game at 2-8 in ACC play, it was clear they needed to start stacking wins to make the ACC tournament, let alone be competitive in it.
For most of the first half, the game was neck-and-neck. While Wake held onto the lead, Georgia Tech stayed within striking distance. Wake took a 37-33 advantage into the break, fueled by a spark off the bench from Mekhi Mason, who poured in two 3-pointers.
The Demon Deacons opened the second half with a drive, firing on all cylinders. An 11-0 run forced Georgia Tech Head Coach Damon Stoudamire to call an early timeout. Thanks to stellar play on both sides of the ball, Wake rode their momentum to a commanding win.
Star forward Juke Harris led the Deacons with 23 points and 13 rebounds, powering Wake to its first win since mid-January. In addition to great play from Harris, contributions from Mason, Copper Schwieger and Tre’Von Spillers had the Deacons shoot better than 50% from the field and 46% from 3-point range.
Mason in particular had a terrific day off the bench, adding 17 points and four assists to the stat sheet while shooting efficiently. In addition, forwards Cooper Schwieger and Tre’Von Spillers added 13 points each, creating a much more balanced offensive attack than in recent games. When pressure and attention are taken off of Harris, good things can happen for the Deacs offensively.
Georgia Tech had strong efforts from forwards Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Baye Ndongo, combining for 32 of the Yellow Jackets’ 67 points. However, it was not enough to overcome the much-improved Wake Forest defense, which totaled six steals and eight blocks on Wednesday. The Deacons also stayed out of foul trouble, totaling only 11 fouls the whole game, allowing Head Coach Steve Forbes more flexibility with his substitutions.
Overall, it was a great game for the Demon Deacons, a team that needed a win more than ever. Wake was both better offensively and defensively than their opponent, which cannot be said of many other games this season. This game was exactly what the team needed to build some momentum and enter the ACC tournament with confidence.
“We’ve been playing pretty good offense for a while here,” Forbes said following the game. “We just haven’t been able to win. We needed a win.”
Men’s basketball now ranks No. 14 in the ACC with a 3-8 record in conference play. They are still just 1.5 games out of missing the ACC tournament, meaning they need to build on Wednesday’s win to remain in contention for the conference title. With an easier schedule ahead, Forbes will be seeking some continued success against weaker teams.
Wake’s next game is at home this Saturday, Feb. 14, against Stanford, which is led by star freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, averaging 22.4 points per game. The Deacons will have their hands full trying to neutralize the speedy guard.
