Wake Forest relinquishes seven-point halftime lead in 77-57 loss to Clemson
Just three days after earning a likely Quad-One win in Madison over Wisconsin, Wake Forest came back down to earth with a 77-57 loss to Clemson.
In the first half, the Deacs hit 43% of their shots from the field and were incredibly stout defensively, forcing 10 turnovers. Wake Forest also converted 40% of their three-pointers, including two each from Daivien Williamson and Tyree Appleby. In turn, Clemson only knocked down one of their 10 threes.
On the verge of breaking away at the end of the half — Wake went on a 13-6 run in the final seven minutes — the Deacs entered halftime with a seven-point lead.
But, to begin the second half, Wake Forest let Clemson back into the game. In the first four minutes, the Tigers embarked on a 13-3 run to take a three-point lead. Clemson was able to put Wake Forest away behind several runs, including a 6:26 stretch where the Deacs didn’t register a single field goal.
READ: Key Stats from Wake Forest's 77-57 loss to Clemson
“It was all over the place for us in the second half,” Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said. “I kept thinking, ‘if we could get a run going there and just keep it close, we'd have a shot.’ We just couldn't put anything together.”
In the second half, the Deacs hit less than 25% of their field goals and 15% of their threes. Appleby and Williamson combined for 3/14 from the field and 0/6 from behind the arc. Clemson, on the other hand, caught fire on their threes, going 8/12. Senior guard Alex Hemenway hit four down the stretch, including two straight that took the life out of Wake Forest’s comeback attempt.
“We didn't defend in the second half,” Forbes said. “We got spread out. [Clemson were] getting easy baskets. I thought our guards played really poorly. All of them, not just on offense, but defensively.”
The Tigers were also successful shooting from the field, converting 70% of their shots in the second half. Forward PJ Hall went 7/11 from the floor for the game, utilizing his size to create space in the paint.
In the first half, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell felt his team did not use its size as an advantage.
“I was really disappointed in our toughness at the beginning of the game,” he said. “So I got on our guys at halftime pretty good.”
READ: Wake Forest Basketball - Minutes and Lineup Review
And, after halftime, the Tigers used their physicality to dismantle Wake Forest on both sides of the court. The Tigers outrebounded Wake Forest 38 to 24 for the game and 21 to 9 in the second half.
“I thought they were the tougher, more physical team,” Forbes said. “They completely whipped us in the second half.”
Offensively, the Deacs also struggled with Clemson’s size. Several times, players were overpowered in the paint — Wake Forest only converted six of their 16 layups.
“We would get sped up, and we couldn't finish tonight,” Forbes said. “I think a lot of that had to do with their physicality. And I think a lot of it had to do [with their] length in [the paint].”
While the Wisconsin win was big for Wake Forest, the long week of travel appeared to impact the team greatly in the second half. Though Forbes made it clear he did not think fatigue was a factor, Brownell felt it gave the Tigers a distinct edge.
READ: John Wolford to start at QB for the LA Rams on Sunday
“That's a tough turnaround for them,” Brownell said. “They had a tough travel deal. [The game] was hard for us, too, and we didn't have to travel. So I know it was hard on them. There's probably a little bit of an advantage there for us.”
With the loss, the Deacons move to 7-2 on the season and 0-1 in the ACC. The team will not play again for eight days, when they travel to Atlanta to take on LSU in the Holiday Hoopsgiving showcase.
“We just got to go back to the drawing board,” Forbes said. “We've got a week off here. We've played nine games in less than a month. We'll take a little break, and then we'll get back to it.”
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.