WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Capitalizing off a strong offensive start, the Wake Forest men’s basketball team steadied control for a full 40 minutes throughout Wednesday night (Jan. 11), en route to a 90-75 victory over Florida State for a fourth Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) win of the season.
The Demon Deacons (12-5, 4-2) have now defeated the Seminoles in the last three meetings. Additionally, Wake Forest stands at a perfect 9-0 mark in Lawrence Joel Veterans Coliseum this winter and has won each of its last 14 home appearances.
For the first time since 2005, the Deacs had three players tally 20 or more points. The last such occurrence took place on March 19, 2005, when Taron Downey (27), Eric Williams (23) and Chris Paul (22) each reached double figures in scoring against West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament.
Cameron Hildreth erupted for a new career best of 23 points, going 9-of-14 from the field while adding six rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
Andrew Carr also had a career performance himself, ending with 22 points for a new personal best and only missing two shots (8-of-10 on field goal attempts). The forward also made a handful of impressive plays, chipping in three steals and two blocks.
Damari Monsanto once again made a lethal impact in his three-point prowess, pouring in 22 points of his own and going 6-of-7 on looks from distance. The Pembroke Pines, Florida, native has now racked up six made three-pointers in three separate showings during 2022-23. Additionally, Monsanto is the third Wake Forest player since 1996 to make six triples in three games throughout a single season.
Tyree Appleby handled his usual floor general duties with a line of 16 points, eight assists, and three steals.
Wake Forest’s 90 points against the Seminoles were the most in a conference game this season. The Deacons were highly efficient as a unit, plugging in numbers of 55.6 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three-point range, and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line. That mark in three-point shooting was the best by the team this year.
Wake Forest hits the road on Saturday (Jan. 14) for a weekend meeting against Boston College in Chestnut Hill. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN2.
Standout Stats
- Wednesday’s win over the Seminoles marked the Demon Deacons’ third consecutive win over Florida State.
- Jan. 11, 2023 – 90-75 (Home)
- Feb. 5, 2022 – 68-60 (Away)
- Jan. 4, 2022 – 76-54 (Home)
- The three-game streak is the longest against Florida State since Wake Forest won seven in a row between January 2001 and March 2003.
- With tonight’s win over Florida State, Wake Forest is now an astounding 27-2 inside Joel Coliseum since the start of the 2021-22 season.
- Wake Forest has now won 14-straight games inside Joel Coliseum, which is the longest home-win streak since the Deacs went 22-0 during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.
- The Deacs 27-2 home record is the best in the ACC during that time period.
How It Happened
- Monsanto opened the scoring for Wake Forest with a three following an assist from Carr.
- The redshirt junior guard converted a four-point play after getting fouled while knocking down a corner three at the 17:50 mark.
- Hildreth recorded his first points of the contest with a driving layup to give his squad a two-point lead.
- Monsanto found Appleby open in the corner for three as the Deacs remained perfect from the floor, as they started 4-for-4 from the floor and 3-for-3 from beyond-the-arc.
- Williamson knocked down his first field goal of the game with a three-pointer off an assist from Appleby.
- Wake Forest held Florida State to just 1-for-8 from the floor leading to the second media timeout.
- Hildreth found Carr cutting to the basket for a layup as he cut the deficit to one with 10:17 remaining in the first half.
- Carr turned defense into offense as he recorded a steal before capitalizing on the other end with a layup.
- Wake Forest capitalized on strong defensive play once again as they forced Florida State into a shot clock violation, which led to an Appleby three on the next possession to take a 23-21 lead.
- Monsanto found Carr for an open three as he extended the Wake Forest lead to five with 5:18 left in the half.
- Wake Forest used a 10-2 run late in the first half to gain a 11-point advantage over the Seminoles.
- Appleby used a nice move to earn an open look in the paint for two to give the Deacs a 30-25 lead before the final media timeout of the first half.
- Monsanto knocked down a pair of threes during the run as he remained a perfect 4-for-4 from deep in the first half.
- Hildreth converted a three-point play and Klintman knocked down the ninth Wake Forest three-pointer to close out the first half scoring for the Deacs.
- Wake Forest led, 44-35, as the two teams headed to the locker rooms.
- Monsanto led the way for Wake Forest with 13 points, a pair of assists and a block.
- Appleby finished the half with eight points, five assists, two steals and two rebounds.
- As a team, the Deacs shot 57.1 percent from the floor and 56.3% from three.
- Hildreth led a fast-break and used a nice pass to find Carr open in the paint to open the second-half scoring for Wake Forest.
- Monsanto earned his way to the line and knocked down all three free throws to give Wake Forest a 12-point lead with 18:48 remaining.
- Hildreth knocked down a pair of free throws of his own after getting a steal in the backcourt and drew a foul.
- Hildreth took advantage of the third FSU turnover in three minutes as he knocked down a jumper in the paint to extend the lead to 16.
- Appleby picked up his sixth assist of the game as he connected with Carr, as the junior forward knocked down the 10th Wake Forest three of the contest with 15:55 to go.
- Monsanto remained perfect from the floor and from three as he connected on his fifth triple of the game.
- The redshirt junior guard extended his electric game to 6-for-6 from deep with 12:55 remaining.
- Carr used good footwork in the paint to get an open look at the basket as he extended the Wake Forest lead to 13.
- The Deacs forced eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
- Appleby earned his way to the line and went 2-for-2 to extend the lead to 18 with 9:34 remaining.
- Carr knocked down a pair of free throws as he became the second Deac to reach 20 points this game.
- Hildreth gave Wake Forest a 20-point advantage with a jumper in the paint before the under-eight media timeout.
- Hildreth became the third Demon Deacon with 20 points as he went coast-to-coast after grabbing a steal and finished with a layup.
- The sophomore guard made his ninth field goal of the contest out of a timeout with 3:33 left.
- Appleby put the Deacs up 85-69 after his third three-pointer of the contest.
- The graduate guard hit another triple a minute later after the 10th Florida State turnover of the half.
- Carr closed out the scoring with a putback dunk as the Demon Deacons defeated the Seminoles, 90-75.
Coach’s Comments
“We got off to a great start offensively. At the first media timeout, we were 4-for-4, but they were shooting the ball well, too. I was concerned with the six turnovers early. I called a timeout and I wasn’t very pleased, but then somebody told me that on 17 of the next 21 possessions, we got stops. A big move in the first half was moving Andrew Carr to the five; that was a good adjustment for us. We did a great job of sharing the ball on offense. Damari got us going, he shot the crap out of it. Every time he shot it I thought it was going in, and it was. He played a pretty good floor game for a guy that is hot like that, he didn’t just go hunting in every possession, he’s matured. Cam was really good off the dribble. The bench played well; Bobi played well, he was +14. He played a good game, so I was pleased. The two times we beat them last year I think we had 22 turnovers here and 26 down there. We only had 12 tonight, which was a big number for us.” – head coach Steve Forbes
Upcoming
- Saturday, January 14 – at Boston College – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN2
- Tuesday, Jan. 17 – vs Clemson – 9 p.m. ET – regional Bally Sports networks
- Saturday, January 21 – vs Virginia – 2 p.m. ET – ESPN2/U
