Deacons turn up heat to blow out UMass Lowell
WINSTON-SALEM – Wake Forest couldn’t get separation against UMass Lowell until it took a shot from its defensive side of halfcourt.
After Myles Colvin’s 55-foot heave to beat the first-half buzzer, though, the Deacons got rolling.
Wake Forest beat UMass Lowell 109-75 on Sunday afternoon at Joel Coliseum.
Wake Forest (3-1) led for most of the first half. But the lead hovered around 3-8 points against an America East Conference team that doesn’t have a Division I win this season.
Colvin drained a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left in the half; Mekhi Mason hit a couple of free throws after a turnover; and then Colvin took a pass after a miss by UMass Lowell (1-4).
It swished, too — no backboard assistance needed.
That was part of a 12-0 run that spanned halftime. UMass Lowell only scored three times in the first 7½ minutes of the second half.
The Deacons put together an 18-0 run, 10 of those points from Nate Calmese, to go up by 31 and ease any tension in this building.
Juke Harris led the Deacons with 21 points, 17 of those coming in the second half. Tre’Von Spillers also scored 21, on 8-for-9 shooting. For a stretch of the first half, he was the most-reliable scoring option for the Deacons; 13 of Spillers’ points were in the first half.
Calmese stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The senior point guard also didn’t commit a turnover.
Colvin had 13 points, including three 3-pointers. The Deacons made a season-high 13 3s; Calmese and Omaha Biliew also had three 3s apiece.
It’s the first time since the season opener of the 2023-24 season that Wake Forest scored 100-plus points.
