Kevin Miller scored 23 points, Efton Reid III amassed 12 points and 14 rebounds in his season debut and Wake Forest used two big scoring runs to put away Rutgers 76-57 on Wednesday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Wake Forest (5-3) went on a 13-0 run in the opening minutes of the game before Rutgers charged back to within two points in the second half. The Demon Deacons then rattled off 18 straight points to put their third straight win to bed.
Miller made a season-high four 3-pointers on eight attempts. Cameron Hildreth added 12 points and six assists for Wake, while Hunter Sallis scored 11 points and Andrew Carr had 10 points and six boards.
Reid, a former LSU and Gonzaga big man, was awaiting a transfer waiver to confirm his eligibility. He shot 4-for-13 from the field but hoovered up a career high in rebounds.
Aundre Hyatt and Noah Fernandes scored 13 points apiece to pace Rutgers (5-3). Big man Clifford Omoruyi was limited to four points and four rebounds, both season lows.
Miller made two 3-pointers during the Demon Deacons’ 13-0 run early in the game. Wake Forest started the contest 7-for-10 from the field to establish an 18-3 lead.
Oskar Palmquist made a 3-pointer to end Rutgers’ field-goal drought of 5:51, and he sank a second just over a minute later before Wake moved ahead 29-11.
The Scarlet Knights chipped away at their deficit for the rest of the first half. Antwone Woolfolk made a layup and a baseline jumper for the final four points of the half, trimming Wake’s lead to 37-31 by halftime.
Rutgers pulled within three twice in the early stages of the second half. Wake Forest used an 8-0 run featuring 3-pointers by Sallis and Parker Friedrichsen to make it 50-39 with 12:55 remaining.
That’s when Fernandes scored the game’s next nine points to pull Rutgers within a basket. The first four points came at the foul line before Fernandes knocked down a 3-pointer and a jumper to make it 50-48.
Then Rutgers went ice-cold for six-plus minutes. Wake got to the line for some points before Miller drilled his third 3-pointer of the night for a 10-point lead. Carr added a three-point play on a fastbreak, and his jumper capped the 18-0 run for a 68-48 lead with 4:35 left.
Rutgers missed 10 straight shots during its second-half scoring drought. The Demon Deacons outshot the Scarlet Knights 42.9 percent to 37.5 percent and won the rebounding battle 42-30.
–Field Level Media
