Wake Forest, missing its leading scorer, falls to Georgia in NIT 2nd round
Maybe it was because Wake Forest’s leading scorer watched the game from the bench.
Or perhaps it was because the Demon Deacons shot only 29% from the floor in the first half and made just 3 of 22 3-pointers for the game.
More likely, it was a little of both that ended Wake Forest’s men’s basketball season Sunday afternoon with a 72-66 second-round NIT loss to Georgia in Winston-Salem.
The Demon Deacons finished with a 21-14 record, while Georgia (19-16) advances to an NIT quarterfinal game Tuesday at Ohio State.
Junior guard Hunter Sallis, who averaged 18 points a game this season, sat out Sunday’s game at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum with an injured left ankle.
A couple of Deacons stepped up, notably Andrew Carr, who poured in 31 points.
But Wake Forest dug itself into a deep hole in the first half, and its valiant comeback effort in the second half wasn’t quite enough.
Georgia, which also beat Wake Forest 80-77 on Nov. 10 in Athens, pulled away in the first half Sunday. The Bulldogs’ lead grew to as much as 39-22, with Wake Forest unable to hit its shots.
The game changed with about 16 1/2 minutes remaining. Georgia had taken a 49-30 lead on a 3-pointer by Blue Cain, but the Demon Deacons went on a 13-2 run, with six points from Efton Reid. The Deacons closed to 64-56 on Cameron Hildreth’s jump shot with 2:17 remaining.
Then came a key play for the Bulldogs — a 3-pointer by Noah Thomasson, who was also fouled and made the free throw. That put Georgia back up 68-56 with 2:51 remaining.
Wake Forest got as close as 68-64 on two Hildreth foul shots with 47 seconds left, but Georgia made four free throws down the stretch and salted it away.
“The crowd was phenomenal, and I credit them for trying to will us to win,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “They were standing on their feet wanting us to go and we were trying. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”
Carr was superb, with 11-of-19 shooting from the floor and 11 rebounds to support his 31 points. Kevin Miller, who played all 40 minutes, added 14 points.
Justin Hill (21 points) and Thomasson (19) led the Bulldogs.
Georgia shot 43.1% from the floor but hit 51.9% of its 3-pointers. The Bulldogs outscored Wake Forest 42-9 from 3-point range.
“If you look at the score, you have to say those 3’s come back to haunt you and the fact that they made 13 free throws in the second half,” Forbes said.
Despite the loss, there were plenty of high notes this season for Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons finished 17-2 at home and over the last three seasons have 48 home victories, second only to Houston’s 49.
