NCAAB Game Recap - Richmond at Wake Forest

Sat Dec 2, 2017 4:00 PM EST

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) Danny Manning described Doral Moore as a kind young man.

But if Moore continues to play with the efficiency he demonstrated against Richmond on Saturday against Richmond, the Wake Forest coach would prefer his junior center forget at least some of his manners on the court.

Moore scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half and grabbed eight rebounds as the Demon Deacons cruised to an 82-53 win.

"He's a presence," Manning said of Moore. "In the first half, I thought he carried us.

"His presence was felt down there (in the post) in the game. But we've got to continue to throw it to him. I think we miss him far too many times, personally. But when he gets on the court and gets in good post position, he needs to start letting people hear his voice. `Throw me the damn ball.' "

Moore's performance only continued the offensive efficiency which has become his hallmark. He is now 23 of 25 from the floor in his last five games. All told, the junior is shooting at a remarkable 84.4 percent clip from the field this season.

"That's impressive," Manning said. "We tell our guys we have to get him more looks. I wouldn't mind him shooting 65 or 70 (percent); 80 is way up there. We could stand to have him get a few more looks and miss a few at point blank range if that's the case."

Meek or not, Moore helped Wake Forest salt Saturday's game away early. The 7-foot-1 junior center made all six of his shots in the first half. Four points, including an emphatic alley-oop dunk, came at the start of an 11-2 run near the midpoint of the first half which gave Wake Forest a 20-9 lead.

From there, the Deacons (4-4) were never seriously challenged. Richmond never led, and the hosts were up by as many as 31 points in the latter stages after removing any doubt about the outcome with another 11-0 run to start the second half.

The Spiders were held without a point for the first 5:59 of the half, in what Manning described as his team's best sustained defensive effort of the season thus far. All told, Richmond only managed 24 points after the intermission.

"I thought in the second half, we came out and we challenged them to play at a high level," Manning said. "Whenever we can hold people to that kind of number in a half, that's going to give us a chance to have some success."

For Wake Forest, Keyshawn Woods had 17 points, while Bryant Crawford joined Moore with 15 points each.

The Spiders (1-7) were led by Grant Golden, who scored 16 points. Nick Sherod added 12.

BIG PICTURE

Richmond: The Spiders' abysmal start to the season continued with their fifth consecutive loss. Their only win came against UAB on a neutral floor. Coach Chris Mooney, in his 13th season at the school, may need another year to earn the 14 wins he needs to pass Dick Tarrant and become the winningest coach in school history.

Wake Forest: The Deacons continued to rebound from their sluggish 0-3 start to the season, building on the momentum from Tuesday's win over then-unbeaten Illinois. They will likely be favored to win their next three games (against Charlotte, Army, and Coastal Carolina) as well, setting up a potentially significant final non-conference game against Tennessee on Dec. 23.

CHILDRESS SIDELINED

The Demon Deacons were without the services of sophomore guard Brandon Childress, who was diagnosed with a concussion following his team's win over Illinois on Tuesday night. As time ran out, Childress went to the floor after being hit from behind by the Illini's Leron Black.

The play was hardly noticed by players or coaches as the teams prepared to shake hands, but has drawn scrutiny since the game's conclusion. Manning indicated he has not submitted video of the incident to the Big Ten, ACC, or any other body for review.

"What would they do? You know what I mean?" Manning said. "Probably, if it was in our league, something could be done. You can send a tape in and complain about it, but at the end of the day, it's the Big Ten, and they're going to let their guys play. It's unfortunate for Brandon, because he got rocked pretty good."

A QUICK EXIT

Richmond coach Chris Mooney hardly seemed in the mood for conversation. His press conference that lasted a total of 26 seconds, taking an immediate opportunity to exit as reporters skipped a beat before having an opportunity to ask what would have been the first question following his initial statement.

"We didn't play well enough to challenge them," Mooney said. "I thought that they're at their best when they're playing very freely, and that was the case today. They were able to play without any tension, and that's when they're at their best. They're going to be hard to beat when they play like that."

UP NEXT

Richmond will look to get back to winning ways on Wednesday, when the Spiders travel across Virginia to face Old Dominion.

Wake Forest will play its first true road game when it makes a short cross-state trip to play at Charlotte on Tuesday night. It will be the 49ers' first time hosting the Deacons at their on-campus Halton Arena.