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Wake Forest used its size and the talents of guard Daivien Williamson to fend off pesky Winston-Salem State 82-69 on Tuesday night at Joel Coliseum in an exhibition game.
It was a community night, and the Demon Deacons got a little more than they bargained for against the Division II Rams.
While the Demon Deacons had as much as a 19-point lead at one point, the Rams didn’t go away and had it as close as seven points in the second half.
Williamson scored 25 points and three rebounds, going 7 of 10 from the field. Newcomer Tyree Appleby had 17 points and five rebounds to go along with four assists.
For the Rams, Jon Hicklin scored 17 points and had six rebounds and Jaylen Alston, playing his first game since the 2019-20 CIAA championship game, added 13 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. Nate Spring, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Kennesaw State, added 11 points and eight rebounds.
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What Wake Forest got out of it
Coach Steve Forbes of Wake Forest, in his third season, said he saw plenty to work on but was encouraged as the opener looms next week.
“Give (WSSU) a lot of credit,” Forbes said. “I thought they played really hard and played a little harder in the second half and got to more loose balls that we didn’t get to. They played a little more physical and it showed.”
The Demon Deacons shot the ball well at 47% and on 3-pointer were 9 of 28.
Forbes said an exhibition game is a learning experience and that’s something he took into account.
“I didn’t think we had a great week of practice, and I told them that, and we didn’t really make the improvement we needed to make from the Ohio State scrimmage,” he said. “We’ve got to learn from it and move on.”
The Rams won’t face this much talent in the CIAA, and the biggest thing accomplished was mixing in the new players to the veteran team.
“It’s definitely good experience for us,” Coach Cleo Hill Jr. of the Rams said. “With a guy like Jon Hicklin, he’s been here and played against Duke, North Carolina and now Wake Forest twice. Every time we’ve played an ACC school we’ve done well for our league.”
The Rams, while they didn’t shoot the ball well and missed their first nine shots of the game, did outrebound the Demon Deacons 35-34. They also had 16 assists on their 22 baskets.
Hicklin said this game will help the Rams going forward.
“This gives us a lot of confidence and our practices will just get that more intense,” Hicklin said.
Appleby had the biggest impact and best debut of Forbes’ new players. Andrew Carr struggled some in 31 minutes, but scored 11 points before fouling out late. Bobi Klintman played just eight minutes and didn’t score as he went 0 for 4 from the field.
One player who didn’t make his debut was guard Jao Ituka, a transfer from Marist. He’s battling a knee issue that will likely keep him out for a while.
“I think it’s going to be at least 10 days, but we’ll see how it goes,” Forbes said.
Wake Forest forward Davion Bradford dunks over Winston-Salem State defenders.
Hill did his share of experimenting with lineups and Nate Springs and Jaylon Gibson, both 6-10 transfers, were on the court a lot together. Both have the ability to step out and hit the 3-pointer, and the two combined to go 6 for 20 from beyond the arc.
Their 3-point shooting kept the Rams in the game, but they wound up just 10 of 24 on 3-point attempts.
The Rams, who went 19-7 last season, appear to have a deeper bench this season with 10 players in the rotation. One player who showed promise was DyQuavis Wilkins, who didn’t play that much last season. He was 2 for 2 from the field with five points and two rebounds and a steal in 11 minutes.
Winston-Salem State guard Jaylen Alston (4) shoots over Wake Forest forward Davion Bradford (20) in the second half of a college exhibition basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. The WFU Deacons defeated the WSSU Rams, 82-69.
There were about 4,000 at Joel Coliseum and it appeared to be about split down the middle on fan support. Plenty of WSSU fans were there for the second straight season.
Winston-Salem State guard Jaylen Alston (4) is called for a foul on Wake Forest guard Tyree Appleby.
Allison Lee Isley, Journal
Both athletics directors, John Currie of Wake Forest and Etienne Thomas of WSSU, worked together to make the game happen again. The two women’s teams also played on Sunday in a free exhibition game at Joel Coliseum. In that game Wake Forest won 93-50 in Coach Megan Gebbia's debut.
For the two games combined, Wake Forest paid $12,000 to WSSU to come across town to play.
“This shows a lot of growth in Winston-Salem and we’d like to extend an invitation to and have the Deacons come over to play in Gaines next year,” Hill said. “I think that would be a fitting thing to do for the third year but I think it’s great. Steve’s a great guy and he always talks so highly of our program and we feel the same way about his.”
Forbes said he likes that the game was played again this season, but wasn’t that fired up about playing in the Big House Gaines Center on WSSU’s campus that seats about 2,800 fans on a good day.
“I think it’s great for the city and the guys and both schools,” Forbes said. “…. I like the (secret) scrimmage and playing this game, but as far as us going over there, well, maybe when they get another coach here they can figure that out but never say never I guess.”
Wake Forest used its size and the talents of guard Daivien Williamson to fend off pesky Winston-Salem State 82-69 on Tuesday night at Joel Coliseum in an exhibition game.
It was a community night, and the Demon Deacons got a little more than they bargained for against the Division II Rams.
While the Demon Deacons had as much as a 19-point lead at one point, the Rams didn’t go away and had it as close as seven points in the second half.
Williamson scored 25 points and three rebounds, going 7 of 10 from the field. Newcomer Tyree Appleby had 17 points and five rebounds to go along with four assists.
For the Rams, Jon Hicklin scored 17 points and had six rebounds and Jaylen Alston, playing his first game since the 2019-20 CIAA championship game, added 13 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. Nate Spring, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Kennesaw State, added 11 points and eight rebounds.
People are also reading…
What Wake Forest got out of it
Coach Steve Forbes of Wake Forest, in his third season, said he saw plenty to work on but was encouraged as the opener looms next week.
“Give (WSSU) a lot of credit,” Forbes said. “I thought they played really hard and played a little harder in the second half and got to more loose balls that we didn’t get to. They played a little more physical and it showed.”
The Demon Deacons shot the ball well at 47% and on 3-pointer were 9 of 28.
Forbes said an exhibition game is a learning experience and that’s something he took into account.
“I didn’t think we had a great week of practice, and I told them that, and we didn’t really make the improvement we needed to make from the Ohio State scrimmage,” he said. “We’ve got to learn from it and move on.”
The Rams won’t face this much talent in the CIAA, and the biggest thing accomplished was mixing in the new players to the veteran team.
“It’s definitely good experience for us,” Coach Cleo Hill Jr. of the Rams said. “With a guy like Jon Hicklin, he’s been here and played against Duke, North Carolina and now Wake Forest twice. Every time we’ve played an ACC school we’ve done well for our league.”
The Rams, while they didn’t shoot the ball well and missed their first nine shots of the game, did outrebound the Demon Deacons 35-34. They also had 16 assists on their 22 baskets.
Hicklin said this game will help the Rams going forward.
“This gives us a lot of confidence and our practices will just get that more intense,” Hicklin said.
Appleby had the biggest impact and best debut of Forbes’ new players. Andrew Carr struggled some in 31 minutes, but scored 11 points before fouling out late. Bobi Klintman played just eight minutes and didn’t score as he went 0 for 4 from the field.
One player who didn’t make his debut was guard Jao Ituka, a transfer from Marist. He’s battling a knee issue that will likely keep him out for a while.
“I think it’s going to be at least 10 days, but we’ll see how it goes,” Forbes said.
Wake Forest forward Davion Bradford dunks over Winston-Salem State defenders.Hill did his share of experimenting with lineups and Nate Springs and Jaylon Gibson, both 6-10 transfers, were on the court a lot together. Both have the ability to step out and hit the 3-pointer, and the two combined to go 6 for 20 from beyond the arc.
Their 3-point shooting kept the Rams in the game, but they wound up just 10 of 24 on 3-point attempts.
The Rams, who went 19-7 last season, appear to have a deeper bench this season with 10 players in the rotation. One player who showed promise was DyQuavis Wilkins, who didn’t play that much last season. He was 2 for 2 from the field with five points and two rebounds and a steal in 11 minutes.
Winston-Salem State guard Jaylen Alston (4) shoots over Wake Forest forward Davion Bradford (20) in the second half of a college exhibition basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. The WFU Deacons defeated the WSSU Rams, 82-69.There were about 4,000 at Joel Coliseum and it appeared to be about split down the middle on fan support. Plenty of WSSU fans were there for the second straight season.
Winston-Salem State guard Jaylen Alston (4) is called for a foul on Wake Forest guard Tyree Appleby.Allison Lee Isley, Journal
Both athletics directors, John Currie of Wake Forest and Etienne Thomas of WSSU, worked together to make the game happen again. The two women’s teams also played on Sunday in a free exhibition game at Joel Coliseum. In that game Wake Forest won 93-50 in Coach Megan Gebbia's debut.
For the two games combined, Wake Forest paid $12,000 to WSSU to come across town to play.
“This shows a lot of growth in Winston-Salem and we’d like to extend an invitation to and have the Deacons come over to play in Gaines next year,” Hill said. “I think that would be a fitting thing to do for the third year but I think it’s great. Steve’s a great guy and he always talks so highly of our program and we feel the same way about his.”
Forbes said he likes that the game was played again this season, but wasn’t that fired up about playing in the Big House Gaines Center on WSSU’s campus that seats about 2,800 fans on a good day.
“I think it’s great for the city and the guys and both schools,” Forbes said. “…. I like the (secret) scrimmage and playing this game, but as far as us going over there, well, maybe when they get another coach here they can figure that out but never say never I guess.”