This article will be updated with quotes after the conclusion of Wake Forest’s postgame press conference
With an exceptional performance by Jesse Edwards on his senior night in the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse left a sour taste at the end of Wake Forest’s regular season, defeating the Deacs 72-63. Edwards led the Orange with 27 points and 20 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end. Edwards also made a run at the triple-double with five steals.
Wake Forest, on the other hand, was heavily led by Tyree Appleby, who registered 21 points and eight assists, but also posted seven turnovers. Turnovers were a constant issue for the Deacs, especially in the first half, when the team posted 14.
After Syracuse opened the game with a 5-0 advantage, Wake Forest countered back and kept the score close to even for several minutes. But, with a 6-0 run, the Deacs were able to take a four-point lead. At the under-12 timeout, Syracuse had worked the score back to a tie at 13.
With a 12-1 run, Syracuse took a touchdown (21-14) lead in the Dome, forcing Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes to call a timeout, mere seconds after he had received a technical foul for arguing a call.
Following four more points, Forbes called another timeout and pulled two of his players — Andrew Carr and Cameron Hildreth. Out of the timeout, Wake Forest stemmed the bleeding with an end-of-the-shot-clock, deep three by Appleby. With an additional three from the Florida transfer, the Deacs were miraculously within five.
At the under-four timeout, Wake Forest had worked their way to within three points of the Syracuse lead, but two-straight scores by Judah Mintz extended it back to seven. Syracuse continued the run with three additional points, giving them a comfortable 10-point advantage going into the halftime locker rooms.
Before the second half had even begun, Mintz was assessed a technical foul, and Applby hit both free throws to bring the Deacs within eight. A three-pointer by Daivien Williamson made the deficit just five. After allowing Wake Forest to get within three, a 11-2 run for Syracuse increased the lead to 12.
With 11:33 remaining in regulation, Wake Forest starter Andrew Carr fouled out. But, leading into the timeout, the Deacs had gone on a 4-0 run to reduce Syracuse’s advantage to eight.
From there, Syracuse doubled their lead with eight-straight points. Down 16 with 9:25 on the clock, Forbes used another timeout.
With three-pointers on three-straight possessions, Wake Forest was able to reduce the Syracuse lead to 11 at the five-minute mark.
Forbes used his fourth timeout with 2:10 remaining on the clock and the Deacs trailing by nine, trying to rally one final attempt at a comeback. But, the Syracuse lead proved to be too large to overcome for Wake Forest, and Forbes had his team allow the Orange to run out the clock.
Both teams now look ahead to the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, where they will again face each other to open the second round on Wednesday. Tip off is set for 12pm ET.
Wake Forest Team Stats:
24-60 FG (40.0%)
10-39 3PT (25.6%)
36 reb, 9 offensive
16 turnovers
20 fouls
Syracuse Team Stats:
27-64 FG (42.2%)
2-14 3PT (14.3%)
43 reb, 16 offensive
14 turnovers
7 fouls
Wake Forest Key Players:
Tyree Appleby: 21 pts, 7-16 FG, 5-14 3PT, 8 ast, 7 TO
Daivien Williamson: 11 pts, 4-13 FG, 3-11 3PT
Syracuse Key Players:
Jesse Edwards: 27 pts, 11-15 FG, 20 reb, 5 stl
Judah Mintz: 17 pts, 5-14 FG, 7-8 FT, 5 ast
Joseph Girard: 16 pts, 6-18 FG
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