Wake Overcomes Sluggish First Half to Beat Northeastern

The Deacs did not start the way they wanted to, but they were still able to get the win Saturday at the Joel

Wake Forest player Juke Harris dribbles ball against American | Wake Forest Athletics

The Deacs were in action again on Friday at the Joel against the Northeastern Huskies. Wake's lead was just a point going into halftime, and this game saw no shortage of offense. Ultimately, the Deacs used second-half spurts to get past the Huskies. Let's take you through how it happened.

First Half Highlights

Both teams came out making shots from the start. By the first media timeout, both teams were already in double figures. Threes from Mason and Calmese and buckets inside by Spillers were matched by Myles Newton for the Huskies. He came out hot, finishing with 19 points in the first half.

The Huskies shot very well from three in the first half; that is what really kept them in this game. They shot 67% from three and 61% from the floor in the opening frame. They also scored on 52% of their possessions, showing the sloppy defense from Wake early on.

It was a good half offensively for the Deacs. Juke Harris led the way with eight points, five coming from the free throw line. 10 Deacs scored in the first half, showing the strength in numbers of this group. The Deacs shot at 64% from the floor and 50% from three. Eighteen of their first-half points came from their bench, and 20 of them came in the paint. When it was all said and done, though, the Deacs only had a one-point advantage at half.

Second Half Highlights

Northeastern scored on its opening possession of the half, giving the Huskies their first lead of the game. This lead only lasted a few seconds as the Deacs quickly scored and never trailed again. The offensive runs were powered by the Deacs' defense in the second half. Wake had nine steals and 16 points off turnovers.

The Deacs got it to a 70-55 advantage and pretty much coasted from there. Sebastian Akins gave the Deacs some great minutes off the bench, as Calmese was still dealing with a broken nose. He had 13 points along with three assists and three steals. Spillers and Harris both finished with 17 points. Tre'Von Spillers had a double-double with his 17 points along with 10 rebounds. Myles Colvin went 2-3 from three-point range, as he had 11 points.

Overall, the Deacs continued to show offensive promise and the ability to create turnovers. They were sluggish at the start and gave Northeastern some easy baskets, but they overcame adversity in a winning effort. Next, the Deacs will host Oklahoma on Tuesday in the ACC/SEC Challenge. This will be a significant game in terms of resume-building in the non-conference.