West Virginia vs. Wake Forest Game Preview & Game Thread

Getting you set and staying up to date with the Mountaineers and the Demon Deacons
West Virginia University guard Amir Jenkins
West Virginia University guard Amir Jenkins | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

The West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-3) Saturday evening at the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia for Holiday Hoopfest. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. EST and the action will be televised on ESPN2.

West Virginia bounced back with a pair of wins after falling in both games at the Charleston Classic.

The Mountaineers produced their highest point total of the season against Coppin State on Wednesday with a 91-49 victory. The team’s leading scorer, senior guard Honor Huff, along with senior forward Chance Moore produced a game-high 17 points.

Huff averages 15.8 ppg, while Moore is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.0 ppg through four games after sitting out the first five games of the season awaiting eligibility, and senior forward Brenen Lorient’s 11.1 ppg is second on the team to go with his team-leading six rebounds per game.

Wake Forest will look to recover from an 18-point loss at home against Oklahoma on Tuesday for the third loss of the season. The Demon Deacons are still searching for their first Power Four win of the season but had one-point losses to nationally ranked Michigan and Texas Tech on neutral court site. Wake Forest did, however, notch a win against a sub .500 Memphis team.

The Demon Deacons are led by six-foot-seven guard Juke Harris. The sophomore is averaging team-highs 19.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Senior forward Tre’Von Spillers is second on the team in scoring. averaging 14.0 ppg and is not far behind in rebounds per game at 6.2 and senior guards Myles Colvin and Mekhi Mason round out the four Demon Deacons averaging double figures, averaging 11.9 ppg and 10.9 ppg respectively.

GAME THREAD

U16 Timeout: Wake Forest leads 6-3. West Virginia held Wake Forest scoreless for the nearly the first three minutes of the game, but the Mountaineers started 1-5 from the floor and sophomore guard Juke Harris has hit a three to tie the game and hit a triple on the right side and drew the foul to lead us into the first media timeout of the game.

U12 Timeout: Wake Forest leads 13-10. After trailing by three, WVU forward Chance Moore attacked the basket for a pair of tough contested lay-ins to regain the lead 7-6 and he leads the team with four points. The Demon Deacons with a 4-0 spurt of their own and senior guard Mekhi Mason buried a three is the difference.

Timeout 8:29 1H: The Demon Deacons lead 19-12 propelled by eight WVU turnovers. The Mountaineers are 4-15 from the field, including 0-10 from three-point range.

U4 Timeout: Wake Forest leads 27-23. The Demon Deacons led by as many as 12 points as the Mountaineers are currently on an 8-0 run to trim the lead to four. Senior guard Honor Huff buried consecutive threes, the first for the Mountaineers on the night. Now, 2-14 from beyond the arc.


HALFTIME: The game is tied at 34. Huff's first half high of 12 points all came in the final five minutes of the half, going a stretch of 3-4 from the three-point line.

U16 Timeout:

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Christopher Hall
CHRISTOPHER HALL

Member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.