Led by 31 points from sophomore forward Ismael Massoud, the Wake Forest men’s basketball team defeated Pittsburgh 76-75 on Saturday. 

It was the Demon Deacons’ first ACC win under head coach Steve Forbes, and was also the 300th win as a head coach for the Lone Tree native. 

“One of many to come, that’s why we came here, to build this program and get back at the championship level,” Forbes said in his postgame press conference. 

“It’s just one win, but it’s pretty special for me and for these guys considering what we’ve been through. We fought really hard in every game that we’ve played. These guys play hard, man. Don’t take that for granted. That’s something that our fans and our university should be proud of, that these guys are competitors.”

After a 3-0 start in non-conference play, Wake Forest dropped its first six conference games by an average of 9.8 points per game. Four of the six games were on the road, and four of the six losses came to ranked teams. 

“It was really good to get our first win,” said Massoud, who was 8-10 from the 3-point line in the win. “Those six games, we were in every single game and we were right there, and to know that today we pulled away with one. It was really good to get coach his first ACC win and his 300th win.”

Wake Forest trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, but a 26-5 run over a 10-minute stretch put the Demon Deacons up by nine with eight minutes left. Pitt cut the lead to one with nine seconds left, and had a chance to win the game after a Wake Forest turnover. The Deacon defense came through on the final possession for the milestone win. 

Point guard Daivien Williamson had nine points and eight assists in the game. 

“I know at the end of the day, we might not be the most talented team, but we’re going to play hard every time we step out on to the court and playing hard, that’s something that’s always going to get you some wins,” Williamson said. 

“I know how Forbes coaches us, he demands the best out of all of his players. When you have someone who truly cares about you, you play hard for them. We’re making progress. Through these first six ACC games, we got better every time. We came to practice, we worked hard, we got better, and we finally put it out today.”

Forbes first win as a head coach came in 1991 after he was promoted to that position at Southwestern Community College. He also had head coaching stops at Barton County CC and Northwest Florida State. 

In his first Division I head coaching job with East Tennessee State, Forbes amassed a record of 130-43 with two Southern Conference championships, and also qualified for the NCAA tournament twice in five seasons.