Wake Forest Basketball's additions of Damari Monsanto and Jao Ituka have had a significant impact. In a game against Louisville, Wake Forest made a season-high 18 three-pointers, outscoring Louisville 54-6 from beyond the arc, ultimately winning 90-65. Hunter Sallis and Damari Monsanto were key contributors. The team's strong 3-point shooting and efficient offense led to a dominant performance, with five players scoring in double figures. Wake Forest's impressive performance highlights their prowess in 3-point shooting and their potential as an NCAA team.
Thought we were headed to a 2020 or 2021 UNC/Wake football score in this basketball game, but business picked up the last 5 minutes of the half. Deacs hit some big shots, which I'm sure Hubert is going to hammer at halftime.
Damari Monsanto has made 6 of 9 3-pointers in 3 halves of basketball.
Prior to Saturday, Damari Monsanto of Wake Forest hadn't played since last February. In 1 1/2 games back, he's 6-of-8 from three while playing limited minutes. Just stuck two tough ones in the first half at UNC.
Wake Forest takes a 34-33 lead into halftime. Deacons trailed by as much as 8; two splashed-home 3s by Damari Monsanto in the last couple of minutes, plus 11 points by Hunter Sallis, steadied the Deacons.
Boopie Miller's 3 is short at the buzzer but Wake Forest takes a 34-33 lead into halftime at UNC. Not quite the shootout expected, but every bit the battle. RJ Davis with 13, Hunter Sallis with 11.
Damari Monsanto: good at the basketballs
I don't care what the NET says. Eye test says that Wake Forest is an NCAA team. Damari Monsanto is a difference maker.
Damari Monsanto enters. 3-pointer incoming.
I think somebody will make a 3 tonight. None thus far. Would say UNC is the team in this matchup more comfortable playing a grinding, muddy game -- but it's not like Wake Forest hasn't won those games.
Posted up for UNC-Wake Forest basketball at Smith Center ... big opportunity for the Deacons, who have added another new dimension with the return of long-range marksman Damari Monsanto.
FINAL: #Louisville 68, UNC 79 Cards drop their first ACC game of the year. Nyla Harris leads UofL with 16 points #GoCards x #ForTheVille @WHAS11
END 3RD: #Louisville 49, UNC 60 Or was tied at 47 with 4:42 to go, but a 13-2 run by the Tar Heels has UofL’s perfect ACC record on the line with a quarter left. #GoCards x #ForTheVille @WHAS11
END 3: UNC 60, Louisville 49 The Tar Heels ended the quarter on a 15-2 run. It's not impossible for the Cardinals to come back but foul trouble (Nina Rickards now has four) could play a factor. Also, Olivia Cochran is the only one in double figures with 11 points.
HALFTIME: #Louisville 36, UNC 36 This one’s a battle so far. Kiki Jefferson leads the Cards with 8-2-2. UofL holding Deja Kelly to just 6 points, but Lexi Donarski has 10. 5 lead changes and 7 ties already. Should be a tough 2nd half coming up #GoCards x #ForTheVille @WHAS11
HALF: UNC 36, Louisville 36 A much better showing from the Cardinals in the second quarter. Both teams have three players with two fouls (Kiki, Sydney and Olivia for U of L), which will be something to watch in the second half.
END 1ST: #Louisville 13, UNC 22 Tough shot by Deja Kelly ends the quarter. Tar Heels are hot from the field, shooting 61.5% so far. Still a chippy game so far, current lead is the largest so far. Ranked vs ranked matchup living up to expectations. #GoCards x #ForTheVille @WHAS11
Wake Forest is tops in ACC play, shooting 42.4 percent from the 3-point line. Check out how well UNC has defended 3-point shooting the last few games! They lead the ACC, allowing just 23.5 shooting behind the arc. https://t.co/2MPvNz65vU
Happy Damari Monsanto Day. Wake Forest did a whole lot of things well in blowing out Louisville, none more important or impressive than the four 3s by its 5th-year sharpshooter in his long-awaited season debut: 🔗https://t.co/WISO0T4kXa https://t.co/XdrHUNDyya
FINAL | Wake Forest makes 18 three-pointers (I believe that’s the most against a Payne Louisville team, Pitt had 17 last season), outscored Louisville 54-6 from beyond the arc to win 90-65. https://t.co/z24vTbMXCR
Five Deacs in double figures today, as Wake Forest holds UL to less than 40% shooting in the 2nd half. Full boxscore here: https://t.co/8QalXRRNmN
FINAL | Wake Forest makes 18 three-pointers (I believe that’s the most against a Payne Louisville team, Pitt had 17 last season), outscored Louisville 54-6 from beyond the arc to win 80-65. https://t.co/nlbnODX2Qw
FINAL: #Louisville 65 Wake Forest 90 Bad. That’s all I got. #GoCards x #ForTheVille @WHAS11
Wake Forest beats Louisville 90-65. Deacons made 18 3-pointers; 5 by Hunter Sallis, 4 by Damari Monsanto in a glorious return. That's Wake's most since ... need to do some research. WF is 13-5, 5-2 ACC and has a quick turnaround to play at UNC on Monday.
Wake Forest is 15/25 from three with 9 mins left 😲
Season-high 15 3-pointers for Wake Forest today. Previous was 12 in the OT win over Miami.
Wake Forest 58, #Louisville 41 Bad perimeter defense in the first has evolve to bad perimeter and bad transition defense by the Cards. Biggest lead of the game for the Demon Deacons
Again, I don't really care about teams taking and making long twos the last two games. Wake is a very good 3 point shooting team, and eventually the long 2s just don't fall. You win both 3 > 2 and just from pure efficiency
Wake is just getting its feet set, receiving the ball and shooting pregame-warmup threes. Even the misses are good looks, most of them.
Begun, the 2nd half has. Wake Forest didn't take a 3 on its first possession.
Louisville scored on 53 percent of its first-half possessions (1.10 points per possession). Which is pretty good. Until you consider that Wake Forest scored on 60 percent of its first-half possessions (1.600 ppp)
Wake Forest is really making Louisvlle pay with the soft doubles on the ball screens , one extra pass by the Deacons has led to a plethora of open 3's .
Tre White drives it in and scores with 20 seconds left in the half, Wake answers with its own jumper in the closing seconds and leads by 15 at the break. Too much of a comfort zone for the Wake offense. Good looks from three, only one turnover, and that one unforced. https://t.co/Le1rKiaIIw
Tre White drives it in and scores with 20 seconds left in the half, Wake answers with its own buzzer in the closing seconds and leads by 15 at the break. Too much of a comfort zone for the Wake offense. Good looks from three, only one turnover, and that one unforced. https://t.co/H2v4yARfIw
Wake Forest leads Louisville 48-33 at halftime. Hunter Sallis with 13 points to lead WF. Deacons have 10 3s, by six players, including Damari Monsanto on his second touch of the game. No Jao Ituka (yet).
HALFTIME: Wake Forest 48, #Louisville 33 WF’s Hunter Sallis gets his 13th point of the game right before the buzzer. Cards playing as poor as you can when it comes to perimeter defense. Lot of things need to be addressed at half, we’ll see if they are @WHAS11
The Sallis midrange is pure at the buzzer for his 13th point and Wake Forest carries a 15-point bulge into intermission. https://t.co/O4NGyuaZ1i
Wake Forest offense: 1.58 points per possession. Wake Forest defense: 1.08 ppp. When you're 10-for-17 on 3s, that first number is going to balloon.
That Reid jumper ended a string of 8 straight 3-point field goals for Wake, which is outscoring Louisville 30-0 from beyond the arc.
Wake Forest has double-digit 3s for the fourth time in the last 6 games. They've won the previous three (and lost the two they didn't have at least 10 3s). It's the under-4 timeout of the first half.
30 of Wake Forest’s 38 points vs #Louisville are from three pointers…
The most 3s Wake Forest has hit is a game was 12 vs Miami, and that game went into OT. They already have 8 with 7:30 left in the 1st vs #Louisville #GoCards x #ForTheVille @WHAS11
Taking a look at what the additions of Damari Monsanto and Jao Ituka mean for Wake Forest Basketball. https://t.co/kYILQkrcU1 https://t.co/3Xdk064oWK
END 1: Louisville 26, Clemson 13 A strong start for the Cardinals, who are led by Kiki Jefferson's nine points. Sydney Taylor isn't far behind with eight points.
UNC doing what it's supposed to do to bad teams. Tar Heels out to a 15-4 lead. Louisville calls time out, even though it will get a TV timeout at the next stoppage