WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The William and Mary men's basketball team fell on the road
at ACC foe Wake Forest, 63-57, on Friday night. The Green and Gold led by as
many as 13 in the opening half and by seven at the intermission, but the Demon
Deacons shot 52.4 percent in the second half and was 16-of-23 from the free
throw line to rally past the Tribe. W&M fell to 3-2 on the season, while
Wake Forest improved to 3-2 with the win.
Sophomore guard
Marcus Thornton led the Tribe with 17 points
on 7-of-13 shooting. Junior
Tim Rusthoven just missed a double-double with 11
points and nine rebounds, while fellow classmate
Brandon Britt added nine
points. Senior guard
Matt Rum tallied eight points, seven rebounds and a
team-best four assists against the Demon Deacons.
After Wake Forest took a 3-2 lead less than two minutes into the contest,
W&M seized control of the opening half, reeling off a 15-2 run. Britt sparked the spurt
with five straight points, including a 3-pointer that prompted a Deacs' timeout.
Rusthoven scored on a hook in the post, before finding Rum for a 3-pointer from
the right corner. Heldring capped the run with a conventional 3-point play at
the 12:35 mark, giving the College a 17-5 lead.
The margin reached as much as 13, 24-11, following a
Rusthoven free throw at the 8:14 mark. Wake Forest answered with an eight-point
run to close the gap to five. Arnaud Adala Moto and C.J. Harris scored four
points apiece as Harris pulled the Deacs within 24-19 with 3:47 left first half.
The lead jumped back to nine, following a Rum lay-up, but the cushion
was seven, 30-23, at the half. W&M shot 44 percent (11-of-25) from the
floor in the opening 20 minutes, while limiting Wake Forest to 31 percent
(9-of-29).
Out of the locker room, Wake Forest quickly scored six
straight points to close the gap to one less than a minute and a half into the
frame. The lead was still one, 32-31, before Rum found junior
Kyle Gaillard for
a dunk. The senior guard then canned a three from the left side to give W&M
a 37-31 lead with 16:26 remaining and force a Wake Forest timeout.
An 8-2 run by the home side pulled the Deacs even again at 39,
before freshman
Terry Tarpey made a steal and found Gaillard for a fast-break
dunk to put the Green and Gold back on top with 13:27 left. W&M maintained a single possession lead until a Chase Fischer lay-up at the
9:50 mark gave Wake its first lead, 46-45, since the opening two minutes of the contest.
After a Rusthoven bucket put the Tribe back in front, the
Demon Deacons scored six straight points to take a five-point advantage. A
Tyler Cavanaugh hook in the lane, gave Wake a 52-47 advantage with 4:40 left.
Thornton answered with a 3-pointer from the right wing, and
a Gaillard free throw close the gap to 52-51 with 2:32 remaining. After a pair
of Travis McKie free throws gave Wake a three-point advantage, Rum had a chance
to draw the Green and Gold even with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The
attempt was long, and Wake Forest came away with the rebound. The Deacs hit
7-of-8 from the free throw line over the final two minutes to come way with the
63-57 victory.
W&M finished the game shooting 41.2 percent (21-of-51)
from the field and held a 37-34 advantage on the glass. Wake Forest finished
shooting 40 percent (20-of-50) from the field and converted 20-of-30 from the
free throw, including 16-of-23 in the second half. Harris led the Deacs with 18
points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line, while McKie scored 15
points to go with six rebounds.
The Tribe returns to action at Richmond on Wednesday, Nov.
28. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from the Robbins Center. Tribe fans can catch
the action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and
Charlie Woollum on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg is the flagship
station of the Tribe Radio Network and the broadcast is available on the Internet
at TribeAthletics.com.
