Wake Forest Suffers Heartbreaking One-Point Loss to #15 Texas Tech in the Bahamas

The Deacs had another high-ranked opponent on the ropes, but were unable to close the deal down the stretch

Wake Forest forward Juke Harris dribbles the ball | Wake Forest Athletics

Well, it's deja vu for the Deacs as they fall in another heartbreaker. They had control of the game against #15 Texas Tech for the majority of the second half. However, a lack of defensive stops down the stretch plagued the Deacs. The margin of defeat is just one point. Let's take a look at how it happened.

1st Half Recap

The Deacs were sleepwalking for most of the first half. After Mekhi Mason's opening possession three, Wake's offense went as stagnant as we have seen it all season. The Deacs shot just 38% from the field in the first half; they only shot 29% from three. The Deacs also shot just 55% from the free-throw line. Juke shot just 1-5 from the field in the first half, and Spillers barely played, looking slow out of the gate.

The offensive contributions came from Wake's bench. Myles Colvin had ten points in the first half while shooting eight free throws. Schwieger and Marion also played strong first halves off the bench, each with six points.

The defense started slow as the Red Raiders hit on their first three attempts from three-point range. After that, the defense tightened up. They turned Texas Tech over eight times, which led to good looks in transition. They also held the Red Raiders to just 24% from three.

The Deacs went on a strong run at the end of the half to cut the deficit to one, despite trailing by upwards of eight for most of the half. The bench was what kept Wake in the game, as they came on and provided a much-needed spark for the Deacs offensively and defensively.

2nd Half Recap

The Deacs came out with their starters, subbing Marion for Biliew. They got off to a hot start in the second half. Texas Tech quickly called a timeout after two alley-oops from Nate Calmese to Spillers. The lead for the Deacs got to as many as seven points. Juke Harris really came on strong in the second half, finishing with 26 points. Colvin continued his scoring, finishing with 19 points. Calmese and Mason each chipped in nine.

This one was back-and-forth down the final stretch. Both teams traded the lead while trading baskets. Ultimately, Texas Tech had its way offensively down the stretch, and the Deacs just could not get a stop. Toppin had 21 points, and Anderson had 19. A critical play inside a minute left saw the Deacs down two. Calmese created a steal and tried to throw a lob to Colvin that was mishandled. From there, Texas Tech made its free throws and put the game away, despite a last-minute Juke Harris three at the buzzer.

This one is definitely tough to swallow. Another one-point loss against a highly-ranked opponent for the Deacs. They have shown that they can hang with the best of them; however, they have been unable to get it done in crunch time. Tomorrow, they get another opportunity against a Memphis team that had Purdue on the ropes for a lot of the opening game. It will be a challenge.