Wake Forest defeats Louisville 80-72
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Behind a key performance behind the three-point line by Damari Monsanto, Wake Forest weathered a furious comeback attempt by Louisville, escaping Kentucky with a slim 80-72 victory.
Monsanto led the Deacs with 21 points on 8-16 shooting from the floor. He also knocked down 5-12 from deep.
Right from the get-go, Wake Forest took control of the game with eight-straight points, including three-pointers from Andrew Carr and Damari Monsanto. Then, the Deacs embarked on a 19-2 run to break free for a 20-point lead. Daivien Williamson scored five-straight during the stretch, with Cameron Hildreth adding six-straight of his own.
Despite a 10-3 streak for the Cardinals to get within 13, Wake Forest ended the first half on a 7-3 run to enter halftime with a comfortable 17-point lead.
Williamson led both teams with 11 points in the first half, knocking down three three-pointers, with Hildreth and Monsanto adding eight points each. Tyree Appleby, who was third in the ACC in scoring leading into the game, knocked down a rather quiet seven, but added seven assists.
After opening the half on a 10-5 run to extend their lead to 22, Wake Forest allowed Louisville to fight back with a 9-2 stretch of their own. But the run was ended by a Monsanto three with the shot clock set to expire.
For the middle portion of the second half, both teams struggled to score, and shared buckets back and forth. At the under-eight timeout, Wake Forest held a 60-43 lead.
But then, behind several made shots, Louisville worked all the way back to within 10. Despite a temporary recovery by Wake Forest, the Cardinals persisted, scoring eight of the next nine to whittle down the Deacs’ lead to five points.
Only leading by three, Monsanto knocked down a key three with just over two minutes remaining to double Wake Forest’s advantage. Then, Monsanto hit another to extend the lead to nine.
From there, Wake Forest was able to work their way through the final two minutes from the three-point line, securing an 80-72 victory.
Wake Forest Stats:
29-55 FG (52.7%), 13-32 3PT (40.6%), 31 reb, 11 TOs
Louisville Stats:
26-59 FG (44.1%), 9-28 3PT (32.1%), 36 reb, 15 off reb, 14 TOs
Key Player Stats:
Damari Monsanto (WF): 21 pts, 8-16 FG, 5-12 3PT
Cameron Hildreth (WF): 19 pts, 8-10 FG, 8 reb
Daivien Williamson (WF): 13 pts, 3-6 3PT
Tyree Appleby (WF): 13 pts, 4-8 FG, 8 ast, 5 fouls
El Ellis (LOU): 20 pts, 7-13 FG, 8 ast
Mike James (LOU): 24 pts, 9-16 FG, 5-9 3PT, 8 reb
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Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.