Wake Forest beats Miami in overtime for ninth straight win (2024)

COOPER SULLIVANSpecial to the Journal

Hunter Sallis wasn’t having the best second half of basketball on Saturday.

Wake Forest’s leading scorer wasn’t hitting the normal clip of shots — it is hard to make an offensive impact when two or three defenders are guarding you — but he did hit the big one.

With 25 seconds remaining in overtime, Cameron Hildreth found Sallis wide open in the corner, where the transfer guard from Gonzaga unleashed a dagger from behind the arc to give the Demon Deacons a four-point lead, and ultimately a win in overtime.

The 86-82 victory over Miami marked the ninth straight for Wake Forest (11-3, 3-0 ACC), the longest win streak since the 2008-09 season, when the Demon Deacons ran off 16 in a row. Wake also starts its conference play with a 3-0 record for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

“That's what a Saturday in ACC should look like,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “You got two really good basketball teams playing against each other, throwing blows, not giving up, not relenting.”

Sallis, who had 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists, almost didn’t get to take his game-icing 3-pointer. He was 2-of-9 from 3-point range.

With 17 seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 73, Miami inbounded the ball and found Matthew Cleveland near the top of the key for the final shot, which rolled in and out of the rim to send the game to overtime.

Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga, giving his 6-foot-7 playmaking guard the ball around the middle of the court, got exactly the look Miami wanted.

The crowd of 8,706 at Joel Coliseum, which roared when Cleveland’s shot missed, was quickly quieted when Miami scored five points to open the extra period. Not discouraged, Wake Forest would go on an 8-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes, thanks to extended possessions from four offensive rebounds. A pair of Miami free throws brought the lead down to one and a Kevin “Boopie” Miller turnover gave the Hurricanes a chance to take the lead, but Wake Forest was able to walk down the court with possession and a one-point advantage.

Sallis, who at one point had missed seven straight shots, sat patiently in the corner and waited for his next try — a shot similar to Andrew Carr’s late-game 3 in Tuesday’s win against Boston College.

“I was standing on the opposite corner when Andrew made the one at Boston College and it was like, you just kind of got a feeling when those are going in,” Forbes said. “You know because they played it the right way. Sometimes when you don't play, the game doesn’t reward you when you don't do things right. But that’s playing the game the right way.”

Despite the second-half slump, Sallis remained confident in his ability.

“You just got to stay confident,” he said. “Keep shooting your shots and God will bless you. So, that’s what happened.”

Wake Forest notched a season-high 43 rebounds, including a season-high 18 offensive rebounds. Efton Reid III, who played the final seven-and-a-half minutes with four fouls, recorded three offensive rebounds during overtime.

Larrañaga was impressed with Reid's presence on the boards. Though he only scored two points, he had 11 rebounds, seven offensive rebounds and five blocked shots. Forbes called Reid the game’s difference maker.

Miller led all scorers with a career-high 27 points (10-19 FG, 3-3 3PT). Hildreth added 23 points (5-9 FG, 8-8 FT). Carr led the Deacs with five assists and tacked on seven points and eight rebounds.

Miami’s second-leading scorer, Wooga Poplar, missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. Kyshawn George led the Hurricanes (11-3, 2-1 ACC)with 21 points (5-9 3 PT), while Norchand Omier and Cleveland followed with 20 and 17 points, respectively.

Up next:

Wake Forest will travel down to Tallahassee to face Florida State on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.

Miami returns home to face Louisville on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., also on ACC Network.