With the season soon coming to a close, Wake Forest played their second-to-last home game of the year against the Syracuse Orange. Coming off back-to-back losses to Virginia Tech and Boston College, head coach Steve Forbes and the Deacons looked to build some momentum entering the ACC tournament. In a similar spot as Wake, Syracuse sat just one spot above the Deacons in the ACC standings, meaning this game would have important implications for seeding.
Both teams started the game red hot, with Syracuse finishing the first half shooting 10-18 from the 3-point line. Sophomore forward Donnie Freeman led the Orange in the first half with 15 points.
On the other side, Myles Colvin had a fantastic first half, scoring 19 points on extremely efficient shooting. He helped the Deacons shoot 57% from the field in the first half. Despite the strong offensive start from Wake, they trailed at the half by a score of 46-42.
After the half, Syracuse held a 7-point lead with 15 minutes left in the game. This marked the start of Wake’s rally back as they continued their great offensive day. From the 11-minute mark in the second half, the Deacons went on a 9-minute stretch where they shot 10-11 from the field and overtook the lead from the Orange. Although Syracuse still had a fighting chance with minutes to go, the Deacons were able to close it out and secure a much-needed bounce-back win.
Myles Colvin led Wake in a fantastic performance as he scored 32 points, shooting 7-8 from 3-point range while also grabbing 8 rebounds. This was Colvin’s second 30-point game of his career, marking a big milestone for the junior out of Indianapolis. After an inefficient shooting day on Wednesday night against Boston College, Colvin answered in a huge way.
In addition, big men Tre’Von Spillers and Cooper Schwieger had great games. Spillers had 16 points and 3 blocks, while Schwieger had 11 points on perfect shooting. Their efficiency helped Wake shoot 58% from the field and 56% from 3-point range.
Syracuse also had a great offensive day, shooting 52% from the field and 50 % from 3-point range. They were led by Donnie Freeman, who scored 28 points, but also got great contributions from guards Naithan George and Nate Kingz. George had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, while Kingz had 20 points on efficient shooting. Despite their efforts, Wake’s offense was more consistent and overpowering, especially in the second half.
A key to success for Wake was on the boards, as they out-rebounded Syracuse 30-18, leading to 16 second-chance points. In addition, the Deacons shot 13 of 15 from the free-throw line, a significant improvement from previous games.
However, the most impressive part of this game for Wake was the ability of players other than Juke Harris to pick up scoring responsibility. Despite an inefficient day from Harris, players like Colvin and Spillers picked up the slack and took much-needed offensive pressure off Harris.
“Myles Colvin is a testament to resiliency and belief in yourself,” Forbes said. “What a great comeback for him.”
Wake’s next game tips off on March 3, as they travel to Charlottesville to face the No. 11-ranked Virginia Cavaliers. This will be one of Wake’s biggest challenges of the season, as Virginia coach Ryan Odom has done a fantastic job in his first year. The Deacons will look to build off this win and carry their hot shooting to John Paul Jones Arena this Tuesday.
