The Northeastern men’s basketball team (3-4, 0-0 CAA)  fell to Wake Forest University’s Demon Deacons (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 86-73 Nov 28.

The Huskies and the Deacons were evenly matched in the first half, with the Huskies shooting 60.7% from the field. Freshman guard Miles Newton scored 19 of his game-total 22 points in the first half, cutting the deficit to one point going into the break at 45-44.

Northeastern took an early lead in the second half with a layup from redshirt freshman forward Xander Alarie, but the Deacons went on a blistering 15-3 run to take the game firmly out of the Huskies’ hands. 

The Huskies’ defense was sloppy, with Wake Forest scoring 16 points off 11 turnovers in the second half. The Deacons were also sharper at the net, scoring eight second-chance shots in the second half compared to Northeastern’s two points. 

In a change of form from this season — when shooting has improved over the course of the game — the Huskies’ shooting worsened in the second half by just over 20 percentage points, shooting 39.1%. The worsened attack combined with the Deacon’s offensive sharpness proved too much for the Huskies to overcome. 

Despite the loss, four Huskies reached double points. In addition to Newton’s game-high 22 points, senior forward Youri Fritz recorded his sixth double-digit game of the season with 10 points. Alarie scored 15 points, and freshman guard Xavier Abreu netted 12 points.

This loss puts the Huskies at .429 win percentage so far. With only a month to go before the CAA campaign begins Dec. 29, the Huskies have four games to improve their record and work toward the championship. 

Northeastern will face off against Holy Cross University (2-6, 0-0 Patriot League) Dec. 3 at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass. at 6 p.m.