Wake Forest Drops Winnable Game on the Road
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After battling past regulation, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons fall short in ACC play against the Pitt Panthers. This loss continues a four-game losing streak on the road.
The Panthers showed great depth with 26 of their points coming off the bench. Four players scored in double figures, with the most notable game coming from Roman Siulepa. Siulepa had 15 points and 15 rebounds. Of those 15 rebounds, eight of them were on the offensive end. For perspective, Wake Forest as a team racked in nine offensive rebounds. Free-throw shooting has been an issue for the Panthers thus far, and though they shot 68% from the line, those makes ended up sealing the game in overtime.
Wake Forest played as well as they have in ACC play thus far, which, to fans, can seem disheartening. They lost the rebounding battle again, and those rebounds led to second-chance points that bit the Deacons in the end. Turnovers were another major issue in this game. With a defense that prides itself on forcing traps and moving in transition, Wake Forest rarely ever loses the turnover margin game. This was five turnovers from the truth in this game.
Unfortunately for Wake Forest, Nate Calmese played limited minutes. What's even worse for the Demon Deacons was that Nate Calmese started strong. Missing just one shot, Calmese accounted for 10 points for the Deacs. His presence was missed in the second half, and his absence was a strong factor in this loss.
Another loss down the stretch of this game was Juke Harris fouling out. Leading the game at the time with 17 points, the loss of Wake's star player was felt. This was all the more real in the major moments, as the Demon Deacons had trouble finding the guy to hit the big-time shots in the clutch. Not having Harris also led to poor decision-making and wasted possessions. Though scoring the game high of 18 points is nothing to dismiss, Myles Colvin also shot 4-18 from the field and 1-7 from three.
While it may be easy to look at the negatives from this road loss, there are two signs of great optimism to point to. I am pleased to see Isaac Carr playing 29 minutes. While his 2 points may hide him away on the box score, Isaac Carr is a young guy who can ignite a flame in this team. After all, he only took two shots the whole game. What I love to see from Carr is his tenacity, which was displayed in totaling 9 boards.
Cooper Schwieger continues to prove that sometimes transfer players just need some time and reps. Coach Forbes said previously that he wanted to see more from Schwieger on the glass. Cooper Schwieger responded to this by racking in 11 boards.
Wake Forest returns home to play the Wolfpack on Friday. Tune in on the CW Network or pack the LJVM Coliseum at 3:45 PM on Saturday.
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Keylor is a sophomore at Wake Forest University. He is studying finance and statistics, yet he still has a keen interest in Demon Deacons sports. Growing up in the college town of Knoxville, Tennessee, Keylor found himself drawn to a variety of athletics. He channeled that passion into his high school athletic program, announcing, broadcasting, and interviewing every sport. As a writer for Wake Forest Demon Deacon On SI, Keylor will cover football, basketball, and baseball, but he is also looking forward to covering volleyball.
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