Wake Forest will aim to snap a two-game slide Wednesday when it hosts nearby Appalachian State in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Demon Deacons (7-3) lost their second straight game on Saturday, falling 72-70 to LSU in a neutral-site game in Atlanta. In a narrow defeat, the Deacs were plagued by 15 turnovers, four missed free throws and a 5-of-24 shooting percentage (20.8 percent) from beyond the arc. LSU scored 21 points off turnovers and 14 points off second chances.
“It’s disappointing. I’ve got to do a better job,” Wake coach Steve Forbes said. “This is kind of emblematic of how we practice, to be honest. We have a really good team practice for about an hour and then we don’t finish practice very well. That stuff carries over, just like the boxing out on free throws carries over. If you don’t do it, you pay for it.”
Wake was led in the loss by Tyree Appleby, who had 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting and six assists. He was outdueled by LSU’s KJ Williams, who poured in 35 points.
Appleby, a transfer from Florida, leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring this season with 19.1 points per game. His 5.5 assists per game also leads the ACC.
Appalachian State (6-4) had lost two straight but got a lopsided victory last Tuesday over NAIA side Carlow, winning 103-43. The Mountaineers opened the game with a 14-0 run, then broke off a 12-0 run to end the first half. Five different Mountaineers scored in double digits and App State forced 21 turnovers that led to 31 points.
Mountaineers’ coach Dustin Kerns was pleased with how his team shared the ball.
“Twenty-nine assists. That doesn’t really have anything to do with your opponent. So we were just sharing the basketball and playing the right way,” Kerns said. “Just proud of our guys.”
App State is led in scoring by Donovan Gregory’s 12.6 points per game. He also averages 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 4.0 assists per game.
Despite being separated by less than 90 miles, App and Wake haven’t played each other since 2006. The Demon Deacons are 20-0 in the series.
Wake is the second ACC opponent App has faced this season. The Mountaineers won at Louisville on Nov. 15, 61-60.
–Field Level Media