Wake Forest defeats Notre Dame 81-64
Read out full game story with quotes and analysis here
Wake Forest put their four-game losing streak to an end Saturday, defeating Notre Dame 81-64 for Steve Forbes’ first win in South Bend. The victory moves the Deacs back above .500 in the ACC at 7-6 and 15-9 overall.
Led by Damari Monsanto, who ended the game with 28 points on 8-13 shooting from deep, the Deacs were able to overcome significant issues on offense from the first few minutes of the game.
After giving up the ball nine times — equal to the amount of Wake's turnovers against Duke — in the first 11 minutes and trailing by as much as 12, Wake Forest surprisingly entered halftime with a one-point 27-26 lead. The Deacs allowed Notre Dame to begin the game with a 16-2 run, but ended the half scoring 14 of the final 18 points to take the lead.
Monsanto buoyed the Deacs with 11 first-half points to combat the team's 11 turnovers, draining three three-pointers. Notre Dame only turned the ball over once.
Other than Monsanto’s performance and Cam Hildreth’s six points, the Deacs couldn’t find offense elsewhere, as Tyree Appleby ended the first half with a 1-7 statline from the field. The Irish shot 34% and went 0-8 from deep, allowing Wake Forest to stay in the game.
READ: Monsanto's career-high 28 lifts Wake Forest over Notre Dame
For all their offensive woes to open the first half, Wake Forest came out shooting like fire to begin the second. Six of the Deacs’ first seven buckets were from deep, including three-straight sensational makes by Monsanto.
From there, Notre Dame never got closer than seven points of the Wake Forest lead, with the Irish shooting just 19% from deep. The Deacs coasted for the remainder of the second half to victory.
Wake Forest now turns their attention to North Carolina, whom the team will face Tuesday night with a chance to reignite their NCAA Tournament hopes. Tipoff is set for 7pm ET on ESPN.
Wake Forest Stats:
29-55 FG (52.7%)
14-30 3PT (46.7%)
41 rebounds, 4 offensive
14 turnovers
Notre Dame Stats:
27-71 FG (38%)
4-21 3PT (19%)
33 rebounds, 10 offensive
4 turnovers
Wake Forest Key Players:
Damari Monsanto: 28 pts, 9-15 FG, 8-13 3PT, 7 reb
Tyree Appleby: 16 pts, 4-13 FG, 2-6 3PT, 6-6 FT, 9 reb, 7 ast
Bobi Klintman: 10 pts, 4-4 FG, 2-2 3PT, 4 reb
Notre Dame Key Players:
Nate Laszewski: 18 pts, 7-15 FG, 2-9 3PT, 7 reb
Ryan Cormac: 12 pts, 5-13 FG, 0-3 3PT, 3 TOs
Follow @DeaconsDaily on Twitter and Instagram for more Wake Forest content
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.