Men’s basketball showed tremendous effort and perseverance on Saturday evening, battling back late in the game to take down Stanford 68-63 at the Joel Coliseum.
From the get-go, this game was intense and physical. Wake Forest started strong and led at the first media timeout, but a flurry of long 3-pointers from the Cardinal put them ahead 17-9 around the 13-minute mark of the first half. A strong stretch from true freshman guard Isaac Carr and senior Mekhi Mason later drew the game even again.
The margin stayed close for the rest of the half with a diverse distribution of scoring from the Deacs, who got a great performance from their bench. Unfortunately, another quick sequence of fantastic 3-point shooting from the Cardinal right before the break left Wake Forest with a 39-30 halftime deficit.
The second half carried an overarching theme to it: Wake Forest’s need to get over the proverbial hump. Every time that they battled back and narrowed the gap, they were one big shot short of tying the game or taking the lead.
Stanford, aided by a fantastic performance from superstar freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, kept finding a way to bend, but not break. Okorie, who had a game-high 26 points, was “a lot” for the Deacon defense to handle. “He’s a lot”, was the sentiment of Wake Forest Head Coach Steve Forbes, who added, “He’s one of the best freshmen in the country, I’d imagine.”
So, at the final media timeout with 3:34 to go, the Deacs had to put up or shut up. After a season riddled with struggles in intensity and physicality, they did well the entire game to earn an edge in that department, which made the difference in the final few minutes.
Free throws from Juke Harris and Omaha Biliew brought the Deacs within one point, and a Harris bucket at 1:48 finally tied the game once again. After a missed 3-pointer and a Stanford offensive rebound, the Deacons were able to force a turnover and regain possession. Harris then drove on the Cardinal defense, hit a euro step, and finished through contact to give Wake Forest its first lead since 15:12 in the first half, 63-61.
The Deacon defense got two more stops, and Harris hit a few more game-sealing free throws, as Wake Forest prevailed 68-63, winning two straight for the first time in ACC play. Harris, whose late-game heroics led the Deacs to victory, finished with 25 points and seven rebounds.
“At the end of the day, enough is enough losing at home. I’m tired of it,” said Forbes in his message to the team before the game, “Our fans deserve better … I’m really proud of my team.”
On Harris, Forbes said, “[Harris]’s got an incredible will to win … he found a way.” On Carr, who played a career-high 31 minutes, Forbes expressed his appreciation for the freshman’s maturity and intensity in the absence of star guard Nate Calmese. “I’m really proud of [him] … he’s coachable, and he doesn’t get rattled in the moment.”
