Wake Forest Clutches Victory in Overtime Against Miami at Home
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons emerged victorious with an 86-82 scoreline against the Hurricanes in a game that pushed both teams to their limits. The Demon Deacons now stand with a record of 1-0, while the Hurricanes fall to 0-1 after this intense encounter.
In front of a passionate crowd at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the home team displayed resilience and tactical acumen. The Demon Deacons led by seven points at halftime but faced a fierce comeback from the Hurricanes, which sent the game into overtime. However, Wake Forest's tenacity shone through as they outscored their opponents 13-9 in the additional period.
The Demon Deacons' defensive efforts were particularly noteworthy as they racked up eight blocks and seven steals over the course of the game. This defensive solidity was complemented by an offense that saw them make 12 three-pointers on a commendable 39 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Their overall field goal percentage stood at an even 40 percent.
Wake Forest also excelled in rebounding, grabbing a total of 43 rebounds compared to Miami's 40. Of these, an impressive number were offensive rebounds (16), which gave them valuable second-chance opportunities resulting in twelve second-chance points.
The team's distribution was on point as well; they tallied fourteen assists against ten turnovers, reflecting better ball management than their counterparts who had only ten assists to twelve turnovers. This resulted in Wake Forest scoring thirteen points off turnovers while limiting Miami to just six.
On an individual level, several players stepped up for Wake Forest but it was their collective effort that sealed this hard-fought victory against a determined Miami side that shot effectively from two-point range (40 percent) and even better from three-point land (48 percent). Despite this sharpshooting display by Miami and their own solid free throw performance (86 percent), it wasn't enough to overcome Wake Forest's balanced attack and clutch play when it mattered most.
Looking ahead for Wake Forest fans eager to follow their team’s progress: The next challenge will be away against Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on January 9th at 7:00 PM Eastern Time. Fans can catch all the action live on ACC Network channel number six hundred twelve.