The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15-4, 7-1 ACC) overcome a sloppy, foul-filled first half to beat the UNC Tar Heels in Winston Salem late Tuesday night to remain undefeated at home, 67-66. The Deacs hand the Tar Heels their second consecutive loss after a 4-game win streak leaving the Heels wondering where their season stands.
The game started out like the temperature: Frigid. At the first TV timeout, 4 fouls had been called, 4 total turnovers committed, and only 3 made baskets between the two squads. Wake guard Cameron Hildreth started with two missed short jumpers and an intercepted lob attempt. Ian Jackson was able to make his first three point attempt after missing them all Saturday against the Stanford Cardinal.
After the TV timeout, the Elliot Cadeau show began. Cadeau went on his own 10-0 run to give the Heels a 16-7 lead midway through the first. Cadeau had consecutive strong drives to the basket finishing near the rim. Then came arguably the best dunk of the ACC season. Freshman star Ian Jackson got the ball on the break, elevated, and put Wake star Hunter Sallis on a poster.
The main stars of the first half were fouls. A whopping total of 27 fouls were called in the half. Cam Hildreth kept the Deacs in the game going 8-10 from the line in the first half and scoring a total of 14 points at the turn. Eight players went into the half with at least 2 fouls, Juke Harris picked up his third on offsetting technicals with under a minute to play. Carolina was led by Cadeau’s 11 points and RJ Davis’s 9.
The second half began with both teams scoring from the field on their first possession. After struggling in the first half, Wake senior Hunter Sallis made a few buckets in a row to get into double digits early in the second. Wake made their first three of the game when Tre’Von Spillers drained a corner three with 13:51 left in the game. Two minutes later Ty-Laur Johnson made Wake’s second three in the midst of a 10-0 run by the Deacs giving them their biggest lead of the night, 47-39, forcing a Hubert Davis timeout.
The Heels went nearly 6 minutes without a bucket until Drake Powell broke the streak with 9:20 left in the half. The Heels then went on a run of their own when Jaelyn Withers drained a three giving the Heels a 54-53 lead with under 5 to play. Wake then rode a 11-2 run to stretch the lead to 65-56 with a minute to play. Cam Hildreth led the Deacs with 20 points thanks to a strong showing from the free throw line going 10-12. Hunter Sallis woke up in the second half finishing with 14 points and 9 boards. RJ Davis scored 21 points, Cadeau furnished with 14 after his 10-0 spurt in the first half.
The Deacs passed their first test of a stretch of games that can determine their NCAA Tournament future. The Deacs have Duke, Louisville and Pitt over their next three contests. Duke and Louisville are the only ranked teams in the ACC.
Next up, the Deacs host the red hot #2 Duke Blue Devils (16-2, 8-0 ACC) Saturday afternoon in Winston Salem. The Blue Devils are coming off a week break with their last game coming 1/18 in their blowout win against Boston College.
The Tar Heels return home to host the Boston College Eagles (9-9, 1-7 ACC)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login