Wake Forest hung tough with the #24-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores for most of this one, but Vandy was able to pull away at the end and get the victory. This sends the Deacs to 1-1 early on in the season.
Kevair Kennedy led Wake in scoring with 20 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the floor. Gavin Placide chipped in with 10 points on 10 shots, along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Tyler Tanner led the way for Vanderbilt with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Let's take a look at some of the factors that helped decide this one:
When looking at the final box score, this may have been the biggest factor in the outcome. The Deacs were a miserable 6-for-26 from the three-point range. That made them 23% from beyond the arc. That wasn't good enough to hang with a Vanderbilt team that shot just 37% from beyond the arc but made 10 threes. Guards Justin Ray, Isaac Carr, and Jamari McDowell combined to shoot 3-for-14 from deep, which was simply nowhere near what Wake needed.
It was not just the three-point shooting. Wake was at just 35% from inside the arc, not capitalizing on possessions. They also shot 50% from the free-throw line, and when you are trying to get back into the game, that is just giving away free points. If the Deacs want to have a chance in big-time games later in the season, they need to raise these numbers dramatically.
Wake was actually hanging with Vandy for much of this game, and despite giving up a run in the first half, Wake was able to cut the deficit to just three points with three and a half minutes to go in the half. That is when Vandy went on a 9-0 run over the last bit of play in the first half and rode that momentum into the locker room. The game could have looked a lot different if Wake executed better to end the half.
One of the major reasons for Vandy going on this run, and several others throughout the game, was second-chance points. They outrebounded Wake by 15 and grabbed a remarkable 17 offensive boards. Six of these came late in the half, and it cost the Demon Deacons big time.
Despite the dissatisfied vibes, Wake actually did play pretty solid defense for long stretches of this one, which allowed them to remain in this game. They held Vandy without a field goal for about a four-minute stretch in the first half.
Wake also held Vandy to just 39% shooting from the floor, and had six blocks. This team is more scrappy defensively than what we saw a year ago and could be a good team on that side of the ball.
Overall, there were positives and negatives to take away. Wake's defense definitely looks improved, but they will need to use the next several games to get guys comfortable offensively in order to be competitive as the season goes along. They do get four softer home games before heading to the Bahamas around Thanksgiving.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wake-forest as Vanderbilt Pulls Away From Wake Forest Late and Gets the Win .
