Wake Forest Sqeezes the Orange in the 2nd Half to Beat Syracuse
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After an embarrassing loss in Boston earlier this week, the Deacs had a chance to bounce back at home against Syracuse. The Orange came out firing, scoring 46 points in the first half and grabbing a four-point halftime advantage.
In the second half, Wake Forest did what they had to offensively and defensively to pull ahead and get a much-needed win. Let's take you through the highlights.
1st Half Highlights
The offense started slowly for the Deacs. They did not score their first basket from the field until the 16:50 mark of thr first half. From there, the offense started to click.
Myles Colvin was the star of the first half. He had 19 points on 6-7 from the field, 4-4 from three, and 3-3 from the free throw line. His offense was a large reason the Deacs were able to keep this one within striking distance.
Tre'Von Spillers had eight points to go along with a block and a steal in the first half. Juke Harris had a little rougher of an opening frame. He scored six points, but shot 2-9 from the field and 0-4 from three.
The Orange led for almost the entire first half because they shot a blazing 10-18 from three-point range. They got hot early and simply did not stop making them. Nate Kingz hit four, and Donnie Freeman hit three from distance to lead the Orange offense in the first half.
Overall, despite the scorching hot shooting from the Orange, the Deacs trailed by just four points at halftime. This was certainly a reason for optimism leading into the second half.
2nd Half Highlights
The Demon Deacons' offense came out ready to roll in the second half. They started by trading blows with the Orange back and forth. Then, Wake finally took the lead at the 10:15 mark of the second half.
From there, Wake never gave up the lead. They continued to grow the advantage to 10 before eventually winning this one by five. It seemed like when the Deacs finally got over the hump, everything fell into place.
Syracuse regressed to the mean in the second half, only making three three-pointers in the second half. Wake's defense tightened up overall in the second half. They held Syracuse to 37 points, a seven-point improvement from the first half.
The Deacs won this one in large part because of the boards. They outrebounded the Orange by 12 and had 16 second-chance points. Myles Colvin was sensational. He scored 32 points on a very efficient 9-12 shooting.
Tre'Von Spillers led the way inside. He finished with 16 points on 8-12 shooting. The Deacs had a stellar 46 points in the paint as a team. He also had three blocks and two steals to help lead the charge defensively in the second half.
Overall, scoring 46 points in the second half and 88 for the game is a recipe for success. It was great to see the offense bounce back in this one. This win should clinch a spot for Wake in the ACC Tournament, and it was a nice home win leading into the last week of the regular season.
What's Next?
The Deacs will travel to Charlottesville to take on the #11-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Tuesday, March 3. Tip-off will be at 7 pm and aired on ACC Network. The Deacs have yet to pick up a Quad 1 win this season; this Tuesday could be their last chance to do so.
Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.