SPORTS
Christina Denovio, denoca20@wfu.edu Essex Thayer, thayse20@wfu.edu
Follow us on Twitter @wfuogbsports OLD GOLD & BLACK
PAGE 11 FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022
Photo Courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics
MBB celebrates 'signature' win over UNC To celebrate the 22-point 'Big 4' victory, Wake Forest students stormed the court CHRISTIAN ODJAKJIAN Staff Writer
Wake Forest Men’s Basketball is back. Not that the Demon Deacons (16-4, 5-3) have not been proving that all season long, but Saturday night’s 98-76 home blowout of North Carolina forced college basketball fans on a national level to recognize that the team in Winston-Salem can play. “Tonight was a signature win for this program,” said Wake Forest Head Coach Steve Forbes. “I am very proud of the guys.” The victory led to a court storming and a thoroughly-rolled quad. Several players shined for Wake Forest in the 22-point win over the in-state rival, including do-it-all forward Jake LaRavia.
The junior transfer scored a career-high 31 points in the win, chipping in 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. LaRavia made his presence felt early with 18 points in the first half. Not a single Tar Heel could stop him from getting to his spots down low. He finished shooting 9-13 from the field and 12-15 from the charity stripe. “The game plan was for me to play the way I play and attack hard,” LaRavia said. “My coaches have been telling me to be more aggressive.” LaRavia secured ACC Player of the Week honors for his performance in this contest, in conjunction with the road tilt against Georgia Tech a few days prior. Redshirt sophomore guard Damari Monsanto also starred in the game, displaying
his shooting prowess on an electric 9-0 run. The ETSU transfer oozes confidence, and in just his second game back from his offseason Achilles surgery, he sparked the Joel into being as loud as it has been all season. Monsanto knocked down a three-pointer on back-to-back-to-back possessions for the Deacons, stretching the lead to 19 points midway through the second half. Monsanto finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Wake Forest's lead was stretched to 19 after his run, and never shrunk to less than 14 for the remainder of the game. Senior guard Alondes “Man Man” Williams continued to play like the ACC Player of the Year candidate that he is, scoring 23 points on 9-15 shooting from the floor, including 3-5 from behind the three-point
line. He filled up the stat sheet by grabbing six rebounds and dishing six assists. Senior guard Daivien Williamson, on his 22nd birthday, scored an efficient 19 points on just nine shots and knocked down three of five attempts from long range. “Williamson, Williams and LaRavia were the best players on the floor, and it wasn’t even close,” said North Carolina Head Coach Hubert Davis. “I mean, we didn’t have anybody that could guard LaRavia, he controlled the entire game. He punched us in the mouth at the beginning of the game. Alondes and Daivian could get into the paint at any time that they wanted to.”
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