Miami defeats Wake Forest 96-87

Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack combined for 51 points

A full game story with quotes and analysis will be available shortly after the conclusion of Wake Forest’s postgame press conference.

Behind an impressive 27 and 24 points respectively by Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack, Miami took down Wake Forest in a high-scoring 96-87 game that ended the Deacs’ three-game winning streak.

Both teams shot well, hitting over 50% from the field, but Wake Forest was undone by their turnover count — the Deacs posted 19, including 12 by Tyree Appleby.

After falling victim to a quick 7-0 Miami run to open the game, Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes called a timeout to settle his team. The decision proved to be a smart one, as Wake Forest outscored the Canes 12-4 in the next four minutes to recover and get themselves back in the game.

Once Wake Forest broke through to a three-point lead, Miami came back to life, scoring 13-straight points in less than two minutes, forcing Forbes to call his second reaction timeout.

But, the Deacs didn’t falter. Following Forbes’ timeout, Wake Forest hit a 7-0 run of their own to get within three of the Miami lead, an advantage the ‘Canes carried to the halftime locker rooms.

Much like the first half, Miami opened the second half on an 8-0 run, including several foul shots on a Damari Monsanto technical foul. Forbes again called a timeout to try and settle down his team.

At the 12:48 mark, Wake Forest had clawed their way back to within eight to stay within striking range.

With a Matthew Marsh and-one dunk, the Deacs jumped to just a three-point deficit with eight minutes remaining.

After Miami took a 10-point lead, Wake Forest knocked down two-straight buckets to get within five, pushing Jim Larrañaga into calling a timeout.

Up by five, Miami knocked down seven-straight points to take control of the game down the stretch. Despite a valiant effort to come back, the deficit proved to be too large for Wake Forest. The Deacs left Coral Gables with a heartbreaking loss.

Wake Forest Team Stats:

32-58 FG (55.2%)

15-35 3PT (42.9%)

26 rebounds, 5 offensive

19 turnovers

Miami Team Stats:

37-63 FG (58.7%)

8-16 3PT (50%)

26 rebounds, 6 offensive

12 steals

10 turnovers

Wake Forest Key Players:

Tyree Appleby: 15 pts, 6-10 FG, 3-6 3PT, 9 ast, 12 TOs

Cameron Hildreth: 14 pts, 5-9 FG, 8 ast

Damari Monsanto: 14 pts, 4-12 FG, 4-12 3PT

Miami Key Players:

Isaiah Wong: 27 pts, 9-16 FG, 2-3 3PT

Nijel Pack: 24 pts, 9-17 FG, 4-8 3PT, 4 stl

Norchad Omier: 17 pts, 7-8 FG, 8 reb

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