Wake Forest Rebounds in Neutral-Site Clash with WVU
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Following Wake Forest's (7–3) first home non-conference loss in the Steve Forbes era, the Demon Deacons had an opportunity to get back on track against the West Virginia Mountaineers (7–3) in a neutral-site matchup in the Mountain State's capital, Charleston.
Many deemed it a must-win game, and the Deacs did just that, subduing the Mountaineers 75–66.
A Dramatic First Frame
The tale of the tape early on was defense and the three ball. At the under-12 media timeout, the Demon Deacons had the Mountaineers shooting just 29% from the field—0/9 from distance. Wake, on the other hand, was 3/8 from three at this point.
Juke Harris (25 PTS, 5 REB, 7/12 3PA) got the scoring started for the Deacs, racking in their first 7 points. Harris' seven made threes were his career high.
It was tied or close in the early goings, but Wake Forest found themselves up 12 with under six minutes to play. That momentum, however, was short-lived; in just over a minute, WVU went on an 11-point run, headlined by 2 Wake Forest turnovers and back-to-back three-point knockdowns (three total).
Blake's Take: The total run was 17–2, and WVU had Wake Forest completely sped up. The Charleston Coliseum went BALLISTIC—it was quite the experience hearing this place get that loud.
Despite all the drama, Wake Forest kept West Virginia at 34% from the field, 22% from three, and forced 12 turnovers. After the first frame of play, it was all tied up at 34 apiece.
Different Half, Different Teams
In the opening three minutes of the second half, Wake Forest mirrored the Mountaineers and marched to an 11–0 run, fueled by two Juke Harris threes and 3 WVU turnovers. (The run ended at 13–0).
It wasn't until around the five-minute mark that things got interesting again. The WVU crowd got back into the game, and the Mountaineers got things within 7 points. Despite the hope injection, Wake Forest countered and got the lead back to 11 at the under-four media timeout—largely thanks to Tre'Von Spillers (16 PTS, 4 REB).
That late-game effort by West Virginia was their last. Wake Forest held on to the momentum, and Juke Harris even hit a dagger-burying three in the final minute.
Stat Breakdown
Wake Forest | West Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
Field Goal Attempts (%) | 29/57 (51%) | 21/52 (40%) |
Three-Point Attempts (%) | 10/25 (40%) | 6/27 (22%) |
Free Throw Attempts (%) | 7/11 (64%) | 18/24 (75%) |
Turnovers | 11 | 17 |
Points Off Turnovers | 25 | 14 |
Paint Points | 36 | 30 |
Total Rebounds | 26 | 38 |
Assists | 18 | 9 |
Lead Time | 31:54 | 3:02 |
Even when the Demon Deacons were not in control of the game, they were forcing turnovers. The Deacs' defense couldn't keep up their suffocating defensive play, but the Mountaineers' improved second-half shooting was drowned out by Wake Forest's sharpshooting (53.6% FG, 46.2% 3P).
Juke Harris won the Holiday Hoopsfest Most Outstanding Player Award and is continuing to pick up steam. His outstanding play and three-point prowess are welcomed with a home date against the No. 17 Vanderbilt Commodores on Dec. 21.
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Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.
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