• Basketball
  • Juke Harris Pours In 26 As Wake Forest Tops Navy 82–72 To Advance In The NIT

Juke Harris Pours In 26 As Wake Forest Tops Navy 82–72 To Advance In The NIT

Details
Basketball

(BCSNN) — Wake Forest used a balanced scoring effort and a dominant second‑half surge to defeat Navy 82–72 in the NIT first round Wednesday night at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Five Demon Deacons reached double figures as Wake Forest (18–16) advanced to face Illinois State on Sunday.

Sophomore guard Juke Harris led all scorers with 26 points on 7‑for‑13 shooting and 9‑for‑10 from the line. He added six rebounds, a steal and a team‑high five assists, becoming just the ninth Wake Forest player since 1996–97 to record a 25‑5‑5 game and the first to do so in the postseason since Chris Paul in 2004.

Senior forward Tre’Von Spillers nearly posted a double‑double with 14 points and nine rebounds on 7‑of‑9 shooting. He matched his career high with four blocks and added a steal while anchoring Wake Forest’s interior defense. Omaha Biliew scored 15 points, Nate Calmese added 12 in his first start since January, and Myles Colvin provided 11 points off the bench.

Wake Forest held Navy to 43.1 percent shooting and just 7‑for‑22 from three while forcing 11 turnovers. The Demon Deacons also recorded five steals and five blocks.

Wake Forest built an early lead behind Spillers’ activity inside and Harris’ shot‑making, stretching the margin to 20–11 midway through the first half. Navy responded with a 9–0 run to tie the game, but Harris and Colvin steadied the Deacs at the line before Wake Forest took a 38–34 lead into halftime.

Calmese opened the second half with a three, and Wake Forest gradually pulled away. Colvin and Biliew connected on multiple transition plays, and Harris continued to score through contact. A 7–0 run from the 5:52 to 4:04 mark — highlighted by Biliew’s free throws, a corner three, and Spillers’ inside finishing — pushed the lead to 70–56 and forced a Navy timeout.

Harris eclipsed 20 points with a pair of free throws and buried back‑to‑back threes late to seal the win. Biliew added a thunderous dunk in the final minute as Wake Forest closed out the 10‑point victory.

Wake Forest will host Illinois State on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 in the NIT second round.