In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a nail-biting showdown saw Wake Forest eke out a narrow victory over Notre Dame, 74-71, on Saturday night. The Demon Deacons, despite lagging behind for much of the match, secured the win with stellar performances from Cameron Hildreth and Hunter Sallis, scoring 28 and 17 points respectively.
Throughout the game, both teams witnessed only five ties and four lead changes, with Wake Forest holding the advantage for just over six minutes. Juke Harris played a pivotal role by nailing a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60-60 with five minutes left to play. With momentum on their side, Hildreth pushed the Demon Deacons ahead 65-62 after converting a three-point play, marking their first lead since the tail end of the first half.
As the game neared its climax, Hildreth added to their lead by successfully converting a three-point opportunity from the free-throw line, pushing Wake Forest to a 72-68 advantage. Notre Dame’s J.R. Konieczny managed to squeeze in one free throw, narrowing the margin, and after Wake Forest’s missed shot, Markus Burton sunk two more free throws for Notre Dame. Hunter Sallis responded with a pair of his own for Wake Forest.
Clinging to a 74-71 lead with a dozen seconds remaining, Wake Forest chose to rely on their defense rather than foul. The Fighting Irish, despite snagging a couple of offensive boards, failed to connect on three crucial three-point attempts during their final possession.
Impressively, the Demon Deacons (with a record of 20-9 and 12-6 in the ACC) maintained a perfect streak from the free-throw line, sinking all 19 attempts, with both Hildreth and Sallis contributing seven each.
On the other side, Notre Dame’s Markus Burton, who leads the ACC in scoring, gave a commendable effort with 29 points. The Fighting Irish also saw contributions from Tae Davis and Kebba Njie, scoring 15 and 10 points respectively.
Notre Dame initially surged to a 20-10 advantage midway through the first period, but Wake Forest rallied to equalize with an impressive 10-0 run. The first half concluded with Notre Dame leading 30-25.
Next, Wake Forest will take on Duke in another challenging match on Monday, while Notre Dame is set to face Stanford on Wednesday.
