SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Wake Forest men’s basketball team fell to Syracuse 94-72 on Saturday evening inside the Carrier Dome.
Despite the loss, the Demon Deacons (17-5, 7-4 ACC) shot 48.2 percent from the field (27-of-56) including 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from beyond the arc. Additionally, Wake Forest outrebounded the Orange (10-11, 4-6 ACC), highlighted by 12 offensive rebounds which is tied for the Deacs’ most against an ACC opponent.
Daivien Williamson led Wake Forest with a career-high tying 27 points on a career-high 10 made field goals and five three-pointers, tying a previous career high. The Winston-Salem native tallied 17 points in the first half on six made field goals, including a trio of triples.
Damari Monsanto also finished in double figures, with 12 points on a season-high four makes from beyond the arc.
Jake LaRavia led the team with five assists while Alondes Williams led the effort on the glass with seven rebounds.
How It Happened
- Isaiah Mucius scored the game’s first points from downtown, netting his first triple forty seconds into the contest.
- Alondes Williams dropped in a layup and Daivien Williamson scored on two straight possessions to open up a 7-0 run that gave the Deacs a 12-9 lead going into the under-16 timeout.
- Williams and Williamson extended the run to 11-0 out of the timeout, extending the lead to 16-9 with just over 13 minutes remaining until the half.
- Damari Monsanto drained a pair of three-pointers over a 100 second span, his second putting Wake Forest up 22-14 with 10:15 to play in the opening period.
- Dallas Walton scored a layup and Williamson hit his second trey out of the under-8 timeout to push the Deacs’ lead to seven (27-20) with 6:19 left in the first half.
- Walton converted an and-one opportunity at the stripe to restore Wake Forest’s lead (34-32) with just under two minutes until the intermission.
- Williamson bombed in his third triple with eight seconds on the clock to give the Demon Deacons a 42-39 advantage going into halftime.
- Wake Forest shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field, 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the arc, and 100 percent (3-of-3) from the free throw line during the first half.
- Williamson’s 17 points led the team’s first-half scoring effort, followed by Monsanto’s nine points and Walton’s seven.
- Mucius connected on his second triple, restoring the Deacs lead (45-43) with 18:45 remaining in the game.
- LaRavia silenced an 8-0 Syracuse run with a jumper to cut Wake Forest’s deficit to four (51-47) with 16:33 to play in regulation.
- Williams’ layup snapped a 10-1 Orange run and cut the Deacs’ deficit to 11 (61-50) with just over 13 minutes remaining in the final half.
- Williamson drained his fourth make from downtown to put an end to an 8-0 Syracuse run and cut the Orange’s lead to 16 (69-53) with just under ten minutes to go in the contest.
- Williamson rolled in a layup to cut the Syracuse lead to 21 (85-64) going into the under-4 timeout.
- Wake Forest fell to Syracuse, 94-72
Stat of the Game
- Daivien Williamson posted a career-high tying 27 points on a career-high 10 made field goals and five three-pointers, tying a previous career high.
- The Winston-Salem native poured in 17 points in the first half with six made field goals, including a trio of triples.
- Williamson also scored 27 at North Carolina on Jan. 20, 2021.
Coach’s Comments
“All of the credit goes to Syracuse tonight. They whooped our tail in every aspect of the game. We tried several people, but no one could guard Buddy Boeheim. Cole Swider shot the ball well and Joseph Girard really hurt us at the end of the first half when we had the opportunity to get a comfortable lead. We also couldn’t get Jesse Edwards on the bench after fouling him out in our last game. They just didn’t feel us out there defensively, but that’s a credit to Syracuse and their really good offensive weapons.”- head coach Steve Forbes
Up Next
Wake Forest returns home Wednesday, Feb. 2 for a matchup with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Tipoff in LJVM is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPN2.
