FINAL: Miami falls in a five-straight loss deficit; Canes lose to Wake Forest at home 88-78

Trinton Breeze
2 min read
The University of Miami men’s basketball team fell to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-4, 4-1 ACC), 88-78, Saturday evening at the Watsco Center.

Senior Matthew Cleveland totaled 22 points for the Hurricanes (4-12, 0-5 ACC), marking his sixth straight double-digit scoring effort. Senior Brandon Johnson pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds to lead the Hurricanes on the boards.

Wake Forest’s Cameron Hildreth poured in 31 points to lead all scorers.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle featuring eight lead changes and four ties between Miami and Wake Forest.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first 15 minutes of action until the Demon Deacons pulled together a 9-2 run in the final four minutes of the half to lead 39-31 at the halftime break.

Wake Forest connected on four of its first five attempts to open the second half, extending its lead to 12, 49-37, at the 16:56 mark in the frame.

The Demon Deacons shot 70 percent from the field in the second half, paced by Hunter Sallis and Hildreth who each knocked down 85.7 percent of their shots in the final 20 minutes.

Cleveland cut the deficit to seven, 75-68, on an old-fashioned 3-point play at the 4:08 mark, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the third time in the last four games. Ultimately, Wake Forest had a response every time the Hurricanes got close and held on to win, 88-78 .

The Hurricanes head back out on the road to face the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 14. Tipoff in Durham, N.C., is set for 9 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.

 

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BOX SCORE: Wake Forest, 88, Miami 78

You know Miami lost to Wake Forest. While we wait for Bill Courtney and players to comment on the game, here are the numbers behind the defeat.

Miami Stats

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Wake Forest Stats

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Split Box


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Matthew Cleveland is not “losing confidence in this team”

Miami lost to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 88-78 on Saturday afternoon at the Watsco Center. Matthew Cleveland led the Hurricanes in scoring with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He told the media that he remains confident in the team and believes they have a group that knows what it takes to succeed.

"We know we have what it takes to win; it just comes down to the defensive end of the floor - just getting stops and getting rebounds. So I say that the biggest thing -I'm not losing confidence in this group or anything - it just comes down to the little things. Our offense is fine; we just have to get the stops at the end of possessions." Matthew Cleveland told the media.

Coming into the game today the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons averaged 61 points per game and the Hurricanes gave up their school high this year at 88 points.

Miami really needs to step up its defense, especially when it comes to guarding the low post and shooters. Hildreth had a field day against the Hurricanes, hitting 6 of 8 from three-point range. He was getting open looks way too easily, which shows that the team needs to tighten up its defense and it starts by taking away his shot.

At one point, Miami had eight possessions without getting a touch in the paint or even getting inside the three-point line. They need to get and have players cut instead of just lingering around the perimeter. When Kidd receives the ball in the post, he is often doubled, so someone needs to cut the middle. This way, Kidd can find the open man, and hopefully lead to success on the offensive end.

The Hurricanes will travel to Durham on January 14th to face the Duke Blue Devils, which are one of the best defensive teams that Miami will encounter this season, so adjustments are necessary to compete with Duke.


 
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