Too many turnovers doom Wake Forest in loss to 25th-ranked Clemson
Clemson’s 3-point shooting, along with its solid defense, were too much for visiting Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers, who are ranked No. 25 in the latest Associated Press poll, rolled to a 73-62 win to remain perfect in the ACC at 2-0 and improved to 10-3 overall.
The Demon Deacons, who could never find their shooting touch from the outside, fell to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. The Tigers came into the game on a two-game losing streak having lost both games in overtime. ddd Hunter Sallis of Wake Forest drives on Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin in the first half. Coach Steve Forbes said the turnovers were an issue that needs to be solved with the 18 ACC games the Demon Deacons have left. “Credit to Clemson, they have really good pace on offense,” Forbes said. “They are very good passers, and they have good action. If we turn the ball over like that it’s going to be impossible to win, especially against a ranked opponent like this on the road.”
Heading into the game, the Tigers were the second-best 3-point shooting team in the league and the Demon Deacons were last. Both lived up to those rankings. The Tigers wound up 10 of 31 shooting on 3-pointers and the Demon Deacons were just 3 of 13. Forbes said the Demon Deacons didn’t do a good job of getting to the free-throw line. They were just 9 of 12 from the line. “We didn’t get to the line,” Forbes said about his offense. “We shot 59% from two-point range but we didn’t generate any free throws. We just didn’t get to the line to generate any easy baskets.” Chase Hunter scored 16 to lead the Tigers and Jake Heidbreder had 15 points as Clemson showed balance up and down its lineup. Victor Lakhin and Ian Schieffelin had 13 points each and Jaeden Zackery had 12 points.
Hunter Sallis led the Demon Deacons with 26 points as he went 11 of 15 shooting and Cam Hildreth scored 15 points, but nobody else could get going on offense. Efton Reid had seven points and eight rebounds, but the offense could never sustain any consistency. While Wake Forest did shoot 50% from the field, its 19 turnovers were too much to overcome. The Tigers capitalized with 35 points off those turnovers. “Ultimately, the turnovers were killers,” Forbes said. “This is a top 30 offensive team in the country, and we held them to 39% shooting at their home and we had seven kills (defensive stops). This is the first time I’ve ever lost a game with seven kills as a coach.” After trailing by nine points at halftime, the Demon Deacons started the second half strong and cut the lead to 46-43, but that’s as close as they would come. Giving Wake Forest a much-needed spark in the first half was guard Ty-Laur Johnson. With his team down by 15, Johnson came in and helped ignite a 7-0 run. Johnson scored six points and had a rebound and an assist to keep Wake Forest in the game. By halftime, the Tigers had a 40-31 lead, but it could have been worse for the Demon Deacons.
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