Sallis scores 20, Hildreth adds 18 and 6 assists; Wake Forest beats Western Carolina 82-69

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Hunter Sallis scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, Cameron Hildreth added 18 points and six assists and Wake Forest beat Western Carolina 82-69 Tuesday night.

Parker Friedrichsen hit four of the Demon Deacons’ 12 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Each team shot 43% from the field but Wake Forest (5-1) scored 22 points off 21 Western Carolina turnovers.

Cord Stansberry and Ice Emery scored 20 points apiece for Western Carolina (2-2).

The Demon Deacons hit four 3s, two by Friedrichsen, and Hildreth converted a three-point play before Sallis hit a jumper to cap a 22-3 run that gave them the lead for good and made it 36-20 with 5:24 left in the first half. Stansberry scored eight points — including two 3-pointers — as Western Carolina answered with a 12-3 spurt that trimmed its deficit to seven before Wake Forest took a 44-34 lead into halftime.

Stansberry made a 3-pointer that pulled the Catamounts to 48-46 with 17:23 to play but they got no closer. Sallis hit a jumper in the lane to spark a 20-5 run over the next 9 minutes and Churchill Abass scored in the paint to give the Demon Deacons the biggest lead at 74-50.

Sallis, who spent his first two seasons at Gonzaga, hit a jumper with about 5 minutes to go in the first half to give him 1,000 career points and now has 1,015, 714 at Wake Forest.

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