Syracuse Orange at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
· NCAA Men's Basketball
67 - 73
Wake Forest holds off Syracuse 73-67 for 1st ACC victory
The Demon Deacons (8-6, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) went ahead for good on Terrence Thompson's scooping layup with 1:56 left. Wake Forest then did just enough to hang on, earning its first win in six tries against the Orange (12-3, 1-1) despite missing five final-minute free throws.
Thompson had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Demon Deacons, while Mitchell Wilbekin added 10 points to go with a career-best eight assists.
Frank Howard scored 23 points to lead Syracuse, including two free throws to tie the game at 61 with 2:27 left.
The Demon Deacons played most of the way without top scorer Keyshawn Woods, who checked out at the 11:52 mark of the first half with a knee injury after a 2-for-2 shooting start.
BIG PICTURE
Syracuse: The Orange had a chance at their first 2-0 ACC start since the 2014-15 season, but they shot just 39 percent after halftime. Syracuse also came in ranked fifth nationally in rebounding margin, only to be outrebounded 38-29.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had won six straight after a 1-4 start, but followed that with late-game fades in losses to ranked Tennessee (at home) and North Carolina (in Chapel Hill). They hung on this time, though not until freshman Olivier Sarr went 4 for 4 at the foul line in the final 16.1 seconds to steady Wake Forest's wobbly finish.
UP NEXT
Syracuse: The Orange host Notre Dame on Saturday.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons travel to Boston College on Saturday.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 67 - 73 |
| 2nd 0:02 | Mitchell Wilbekin Defensive Rebound. | 67 - 73 |
| 2nd 0:02 | Frank Howard missed Three Point Jumper. | 67 - 73 |
| 2nd 0:07 | Olivier Sarr made Free Throw. | 67 - 73 |
| 2nd 0:07 | Olivier Sarr made Free Throw. | 67 - 72 |
Statistics
 SYR |
 WAKE |
|
|---|---|---|
| 21-50 | FG | 25-56 |
| 42 | Field Goal % | 45 |
| 7-18 | 3PT | 9-19 |
| 39 | Three Point % | 47 |
| 18-23 | FT | 14-24 |
| 78 | Free Throw % | 58 |
| 29 | Rebounds | 38 |
| 6 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 23 | Defensive Rebounds | 26 |
| 9 | Assists | 20 |
| 8 | Steals | 7 |
| 6 | Blocks | 3 |
| 13 | Turnovers | 12 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 13 | Total Turnovers | 12 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 18 | Fouls | 16 |
| 5 | Largest Lead | 8 |
Game Information
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Attendance: 8,109 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 17-1 | - | 35-3 |
| Virginia | 15-3 | 2 | 30-6 |
| Miami | 13-5 | 4 | 26-9 |
| North Carolina | 12-6 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Clemson | 12-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Louisville | 11-7 | 6 | 24-11 |
| NC State | 10-8 | 7 | 20-14 |
| Florida State | 10-8 | 7 | 18-15 |
| California | 9-9 | 8 | 22-12 |
| Stanford | 9-9 | 8 | 20-13 |
| Virginia Tech | 8-10 | 9 | 19-13 |
| SMU | 8-10 | 9 | 20-14 |
| Wake Forest | 7-11 | 10 | 18-17 |
| Syracuse | 6-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-13 | 12 | 13-20 |
| Notre Dame | 4-14 | 13 | 13-18 |
| Boston College | 4-14 | 13 | 11-20 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-16 | 15 | 11-20 |