Wake Forest Stumbles at Home Against Syracuse; Deacons Look to Rebound in Louisville

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons faced a challenging contest at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, ending with a score of 77-56 in favor of the visiting Syracuse Orange. The Demon Deacons now stand with an even record, while the Orange improved their tally. The game saw both teams fiercely competing, but ultimately it was Syracuse who capitalized on their opportunities.

The home team struggled to find their rhythm early on, trailing behind after the first quarter with only 9 points compared to Syracuse's 14. Despite picking up pace in subsequent quarters, scoring 12 and then improving to 18 and finally 17 points as the game progressed, they could not close the gap created by Syracuse's consistent performance across all quarters.

Wake Forest's offensive efforts were led by their ability to convert free throws at a rate of 67 percent. They also managed an assist-turnover ratio higher than that of their opponents, recording an impressive figure of 1.17. However, this was overshadowed by a less effective field goal percentage which stood at just 37 percent compared to Syracuse's more efficient rate of 54 percent.

Defensively, Wake Forest couldn't match up either; they failed to block any shots and gathered only four steals throughout the game – less than half of what Syracuse achieved with nine steals. Additionally, Wake Forest ended up committing more personal fouls (13) than its counterpart (9), which may have contributed further pressure on them defensively.

Syracuse showcased strong rebounding skills with a total rebound count of 35 against Wake Forest’s total rebounds count which was ten fewer. This included both defensive rebounds (24) and offensive rebounds (11). Their dominance inside was also evident from scoring more points in paint (36) compared to Wake Forest’s effort (22).

The next outing for the Demon Deacons will be away from home as they face off against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center located in Louisville on January 14th at approximately two o'clock post meridian Eastern Time Zone. Fans can catch this broadcast nationally on ACC Network channel number six hundred twelve for another round of conference play action.