Published Mar 8, 2025
Deacons lay beatdown on GT
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Conor O'Neill  •  DeaconsIllustrated
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Wake Forest blows out Yellow Jackets to end regular season

It would be hard to script out a better Senior Day for Wake Forest.

The Deacons dominated Georgia Tech for a 69-43 win on Saturday at Joel Coliseum, led by double-digit scoring games by each of the team’s three seniors.

Cameron Hildreth, one of the ACC’s only seniors who’s still at the school he started his career with, led Wake Forest (21-10, 13-7 ACC) with 14 points. Hunter Sallis scored 13 and chipped in with five rebounds and four assists, and Efton Reid III had a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double.

There wasn’t much drama to Wake’s last scheduled home game of the season. The Deacons took a 19-point lead to halftime against Georgia Tech (16-15, 10-10) and the closest the game was in the second half was 16 points.

Wake’s lead climaxed at 31 when Reid drilled a 3-pointer, his second of the game, with 4½ minutes left.

In the last week of the regular season, Wake Forest went from its most-lopsided loss to its biggest margin of victory. The Deacons lost by 33 at Duke on Monday night; Saturday’s 26-point margin exceeded the 18-point cushion Wake Forest had against N.C. State in Winston-Salem, previously the biggest margin.

There wasn’t much scoring in the first half but most of it was done by Wake Forest.

The Deacons had a 34-15 lead at halftime. It was a 10-10 game before Wake Forest spurted ahead with nine straight points, the last three of those a banked-in 3-pointer from the top of the key by freshman Juke Harris.

That was one of 11 3-pointers made by Wake Forest; the only other game this season in which they made more was 12 against Western Carolina on Nov. 19, and it’s only the third time this year the Deacons have made double-digit 3s.

Wake Forest scored the last 12 points of the first half, with 3s by Sallis and Reid in the last two minutes.

TIP-INS: Reid’s double-double was his third of the season. … This was Wake’s first ACC game making double-digit 3s; last season, Wake Forest made double-digit 3s seven times against ACC teams. … Wake Forest got its senior walk-ons, Kevin Dunn and RJ Kennah, into the game for the last couple of minutes. Dunn missed a couple of 3-pointers.