Wake Forest falls to Virginia Tech
In the first matchup against Virginia Tech this season, Wake Forest Men’s Basketball won off a Nate Calmese step-back 3-pointer. It was a thriller for fans, especially following a stretch of close losses.
Due to a Grade 3 ankle sprain, the Demon Deacons did not have Calmese this time, and they did not keep the game close. The Hokies destroyed the Demon Deacons by 19 points with a final score of 82-63.
The game started strong for Wake Forest, as they hit all four of their attempts from the 3-point line. Unfortunately, their hot shooting day quickly turned ice cold, as they proceeded to make only 2 of their next 26 3-point shots. Overall, they shot 20% from the 3-point line for the game.
The Hokies, namely Tobi Lawal, seemed to play more physically than Wake Forest. Lawal had himself a nice day on the glass, snatching 9 rebounds for the game. His bank shot 3-pointer midway through the first half seemed to drain Wake Forest’s spirit.
The Demon Deacons went into halftime losing 33-43.
The start of the second half started decently for the Demon Deacons, but Virginia Tech quickly took control and never looked back. Their 19-point victory was their largest against an ACC opponent this season.
Juke Harris once again led the team in scoring, posting 16 points on 17 shots. Harris looked like he could not find his range, shooting a rough 2-10 from 3-point range.
The tandem of big men, Tre’Von Spillers and Cooper Schweiger, had themselves nice games as well. Spillers put up 12 points with 7 rebounds, and Schweiger scored 10 points in just 15 minutes.
Virginia Tech had six scorers in double figures, including 17 points from both Lawal and Neoklis Avdalas. The Hokies outrebounded the Demon Deacons 37-32, a recurring issue for Steve Forbes’ team this season.
“I just really thought Virginia Tech came ready to play today,” Forbes said following the loss. “They played at a really high level on both offense and defense. The biggest key for them, and the worst thing for us, was we didn’t guard them off the dribble all day long.”
Another ACC loss to Boston College
After the tough loss against Virginia Tech, the Demon Deacons looked to get back on track, entering a snowstorm in Chestnut Hill to face Boston College. Entering this game, the Eagles sat at second-to-last in the ACC, having just two wins in ACC play. This was the perfect game for the Deacons to bounce back and return to the success they had during their 3-game win streak.
Both teams started the game very rusty. Wake Forest did not have much offensive production outside of a boiling start from Harris, who had 19 of Wake’s 29 first-half points. The same could be said for Boston College, as they finished the first half with just 22 points.
Wake had a clear focus on defensive improvements, with the Eagles shooting 1-15 from 3-point range in the first half. After letting the Hokies of Virginia Tech shoot 51% from the field in their last game, Forbes and the Deacons must have been pleased with their improved defense.
Despite Wake having a 7-point lead at half, they came out in the second half looking stagnant, with incredibly poor shooting. They allowed Boston College to go on a 23-5 run over the first 10 minutes of the second half, leading Wake to a 45-34 deficit against one of the worst teams in the ACC. In addition, every time it seemed like Wake was starting to cut into the lead, the Eagles would answer back with a bucket to stop their momentum.
With Wake down by 8 with just 2:30 left in the game, all hope seemed to be lost. However, clutch baskets made by Juke Harris and freshman guard Isaac Carr got the Deacons to within 2 points with 26 seconds left. After a Wake Forest timeout, the Deacons turned up the full-court pressure, leading to a steal from Carr.
Carr then kicked it out to Juke Harris, who hit his 6th and most important three-pointer of the game, giving Wake a 1-point lead with 18 seconds left. That lead would not last for long, as Boston College forward Aidan Shaw got a tip-in layup with 0.5 seconds left, giving the Eagles a win and ending an 8-game losing streak.
Despite the devastating loss for Wake, Juke Harris had a phenomenal game, scoring a career-high 38 points and shooting an efficient 12-19 from the field. Compared to his teammates, who shot just 10-43, Harris seemed to be the only Demon Deacon capable of giving this team a chance at victory.
However, freshman Isaac Carr made his first collegiate start and delivered when it mattered most, scoring 5 points and coming up with a key steal in the final two minutes of the game.
A great performance from junior guard Fred Payne, who scored 23 points, led Boston College. Contributions from forwards Boden Kapke and Aidan Shaw also aided in the Eagles’ win. Kapke had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Shaw had 11 points, including the game-winner.
Another storyline today for Wake was the return of point guard Nate Calmese. Calmese started the game strong, converting on his 2 field goal attempts and getting 5 points in the process. However, after his second bucket, Calmese reaggravated the ankle injury he had been nursing since the Jan. 27 overtime loss against Pittsburgh and did not return.
Hopefully, the senior Calmese did not play his last college basketball game and can return before the season ends.
Although Forbes was disappointed by the close loss, he gave big praise to forward Juke Harris.
“It’s too bad because we had a guy have a great night. Juke is one of the best players in the league and one of the best sophomores in the United States,” Forbes said. “But all in all, it’s a disappointing loss for us to have given up that many points to them in the second half.”
Wake, now 5-10 in ACC play, continues to fight for their spot in the ACC tournament as they look to end the season on a high note. Their next game is on Saturday, Feb. 28, at home against Syracuse, the second-to-last home game this season.
