Andrew Carr scored 20 points — and sank the game-winning buzzer-beater — as Wake Forest held off an upset bid from Appalachian State to win 67-66 Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.
With 1.3 seconds left, Carr caught the inbounds pass and swished a turnaround fadeaway jumper over a defender from mid-range to give the Demon Deacons (8-3) the victory. Had App State (6-5) won, it would’ve been the Mountaineers’ first-ever victory over Wake.
Carr shot 8 of 14 from the floor and also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Cameron Hildreth added 10 points for the Deacs, Daivien Williamson had 12 and Ty Appleby had 15 points and four assists before leaving the game late with an apparent ankle injury.
App State was powered by 18 points from Christopher Mantis, who shot 6 of 7 from the floor and also had two rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Donovan Gregory had 12 points and Terence Harcum had 11.
App State went into halftime with a six-point lead, largely thanks to Mantis sinking a trio of 3-pointers in the final five minutes of the opening half. Before Mantis connected on those shots, the Mountaineers were shooting 0-for-3 from behind the arc. But for the first half as a whole, App State shot 17 of 25 from the floor, a 68 percent clip.
Wake responded in a big way after intermission, though, coming out of the break with a 17-2 run before App State coach Dustin Kerns called a timeout. App State chipped away at the nine-point lead Wake built, and with 3:28 to play, the game was tied up.
The two teams exchanged baskets and then, with 14 seconds left, Harcum made a 3-pointer to give App State a one-point lead as Appleby had to be helped off the court.
Wake failed to convert on its next possession. A layup attempt from Hildreth clanked off the rim and Dibaji Walker secured a rebound for App with two seconds left. On the inbounds, App turned the ball over, giving Wake its last chance for the go-ahead bucket.
–Field Level Media
