WINSTON-SALEM – This was a different type of game for Wake Forest on Saturday night.

It went from good to great – how about that direction, all in one game.

The Demon Deacons gained a grip on visiting Syracuse and sailed into halftime. Then they kept up the solid work, ending with a 99-70 victory between two teams trying to gain the attention and quality credentials that might be worthy of postseason consideration.

Wake was the only one to accomplish that, avoiding what would have been its first three-game losing streak of the season.

“We’re 6-4 at the turn,” coach Steve Forbes said of the midway mark of the ACC schedule. “We’ve still got 10 games. That’s a lot of basketball.”

Wake (14-7 overall) didn’t have many glitches, serving up a steady diet of offense and alert defense. It was difficult to determine which was better.

“Early, I would say defensively (was best),” Forbes said. “I don’t think so much in the second half early on. I thought our offense was better than our defense.”

Wake’s 12th consecutive homecourt victory was highlighted by 66% shooting from the field, with four players connecting for multiple 3-point baskets.

The shooting touch didn’t surprise the Deacons.

“We work on those shots every day,” guard Hunter Sallis said. “I’m confident to shoot those shots.”

Sallis poured in 24 points, Kevin Miller had 21 points and Andrew Carr dumped in 16. Cameron Hildreth’s 13 points and 12 rebounds were factors in the romp.

Unlike second-half slip-ups that defined games at North Carolina State, North Carolina and Pitt, the Deacons showed no signs of backing off or backing up.

A 14-point halftime spread ballooned to 58-38.

“I thought we did a really good job of extending the lead in the guts of the game,” Carr said.

The fallout from the Pitt game had ramifications Saturday night.

“The game was won Thursday and Friday when we got back from Pitt,” Forbes said. “Everybody is dooming and glooming, and we just went to work. We had a great practice Thursday and a great practice Friday.”

Through 30 minutes, the Deacons had missed only 11 shots from the field. At about that time, Wake held a 24-12 rebounding advantage, with Hildreth’s nine boards nearly equaling the Orange’s team total.

The effort displayed by Hildreth was inspirational in notching his first double-double of the season despite a wrist injury.

“I think it’s just a testament to his toughness, how much he loves to play, how much he loves his team,” Forbes said.

Certainly the Deacons can be forgiven for collecting only five offensive rebounds because there just weren’t that many misfires to track down.

Off the bench, Parker Friedrichsen flushed two 3s and Damari Monsanto made two difficult-looking 3s – one in each half. Sallis sank his fourth and final 3 with 4:46 left, turning and slapping hands with excited front-row patrons as he headed back down court.

Miller made fearless drives into the lane, shooting over and around Syracuse defenders. He was 10-for-14 from the field, and perhaps more notable was that the 6-foot guard was third on the team and fifth overall in the game with five rebounds.

A 14-rebound margin was a plus for the Deacons.

“That’s something that has been a point of emphasis for us, especially defensively,” Carr said.

The onslaught was launched after Wake was stuck on seven points for more than three minutes before posting eight straight, capped by Sallis’ 3 for a 15-7 edge.

By halftime, the Deacons hit 60% of their shots. The last of those came on a well-executed fastbreak for a Sallis dunk on their final possession.

The mood was predictably sour for the Orange (14-8, 5-6).

“I’d like to apologize to our fans, to our university for that performance,” Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said in his opening comments. “The whole game. … We should not lose like this.”

Wake’s free-wheeling offense hit its mark throughout the night, The Deacons scored more this season only in a 101-78 opening-night victory against Elon.

“We did not play any defense at all,” Autry said. “They did what they wanted to do.”

JJ Starling’s 15 points led Syracuse, but Orange guard Judah Mintz was held to 13 points – well below his 18.5 average. Mintz took just nine shots from the field and five free throws.

Forbes said the Deacons did a good job of forcing Mintz to give up the ball without shooting.

Free throws …: This outcome wasn’t quite as intriguing as Wake’s three-point squeaker past the Orange in last March’s ACC Tournament, a contest that ultimately became the final game coached by Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim of Syracuse. … Four of Wake’s ACC victories have come by 19 or more points – all at home. … Wake’s 1983-84 team was honored at halftime to mark the 40th anniversary of the team that went 23-9 and reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. “We hung out with them (Friday) night,” Forbes said.