Wake Forest struggles with turnovers, falls to Rutgers 81-57
In a wire-to-wire domination in front of a raucous home court crowd, Rutgers controlled Wake Forest for an 81-57 victory. The Demon Deacons finished the game with a season-high 22 turnovers.
In the early stages of the game, Rutgers deployed a swarming full-court press defense, forcing five giveaways in the first four minutes. Two of those came from Wake Forest inbounds under their own hoop.
“I thought they physically overwhelmed us,” Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said after the game. “We just weren't strong with the ball, we got sped up. We knew, coming in here, we couldn't have any pick sixes or whatever you want to call them, atomic bombs, and we gave up five. There's really no way to defend those.”
Rutgers entered the game with the third-ranked defensive efficiency on KenPom, and they lived up to their elite status on that end of the floor.
“We had more turnovers than we had made field goals,” Forbes continued. “I don’t know if you can win any games that way.”
READ: Key Stats from Wake Forest's 81-57 loss to Rutgers
Despite guard Tyree Appleby surprisingly starting after suffering an injury on Wednesday, the Deacs struggled offensively, tying their season-low scoring output. Appleby played just 25 minutes in a 10-point effort.
“When the game got to 18, I didn't want to play him anymore because we need him for the rest of the season,” Forbes said.
"He's one of the best guards in the country,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell added. “The whole team did a great job of holding him to no points in the second half. We had a good game plan and our guys executed it.”
Midway through the second half, Appleby picked up fouls No. 2, 3 and 4, in a 23-second span. He checked out and did not play again.
“First, credit to him for doing all the things he could do to get back to play,” Forbes said. “He got frustrated, he's getting fouled. He wasn't getting any of those calls. You got to move on. He'll do better, he's a competitor.”
After not playing in the win over Appalachian State on Wednesday due to issues with “team standards,” per Forbes, Damari Monsanto led Wake Forest in scoring with 22 points — a Wake Forest career high — hitting 6 of 12 from behind the three-point line.
“I was really proud of the way Damari played,” Forbes said. “He didn't have a good week of practice and preparation, and he knows what he has to do. But I thought he came in and did what he can do. He's a really good player when he scores off the catch. I thought he did a really good job of playing within himself today.”
Also providing offense for the Deacs, Cameron Hildreth picked up his eighth-straight game scoring 10 or more points, going 5-11 for 13 points. But, he also picked up three turnovers, and had the worst +/- on the team (-28) in 33 minutes of action.
Along with the team being physically overwhelmed in Forbes’ mind, he felt Wake Forest lost the physical battle, especially down low. Rutgers scored 44 points in the paint. The Deacs, on the other hand, only mustered 16.
READ: Houston at Virginia - ACC Pick of the Day
“They've got a tough team,” Forbes said. “I'm not saying that I don't, I'm not saying our guys aren't tough. It's just, we didn't do the tough things.”
In addition, the Scarlet Knights shot 58.5% from the field, its highest percentage since shooting 59.3% against Niagara on Nov. 10, 2019.
No one player took over the offense for Rutgers. Instead, five players hit double-digit scoring. Guard Cam Spencer led the way with 15 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting. The senior also hit two three-pointers.
Wake Forest fell victim to several runs from the Scarlet Knights throughout the game. After the Deacs cut their deficit down to four with 9 minutes remaining in the first half, Rutgers embarked on a 12-0 run. Then, they opened the second half on a 12-2 stretch. In the final 9:28, the Scarlet Knights outscored Wake Forest 17-5.
Things don’t get any easier for the Deacs — next up is a home battle Tuesday night against the No. 12 Duke Blue Devils. Tip-off is set for 6:30 pm ET.
Follow @DeaconsDaily on Twitter and Instagram for more Wake Forest content
