Wake Forest University
Team adidas (exhibition)
Women's Hoops Drops Exhibition To Premier Player, 82-71
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2003
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest senior Tonia Brown scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while junior Erin Ferrell added 15 points and 14 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome a 19-point first half deficit as the Demon Deacons dropped their final exhibition of the 2003-04 season to Premier Players, 82-71, Monday night in Joel Coliseum.
Rita Adams of Premier led all scorers with 24 points, including six 3-pointers. Jemeka Jones added 20 points, 14 rebounds and five 3-point field goals. Mary Cofield (13) and Juana Brown (10) were the other two players in double figures for Premier. Brown also corralled a game high 16 boards.
The Deacs found themselves down, 42-23, at halftime. Premier Players connected on 8-for-17 from 3-point territory in the opening 20 minutes. In fact, Wake Forest trailed just 20-17 with 6:28 in the first half, but Premier closed the first stanza on a 22-6 run. Jones drilled a pair of 3-pointers and Adams added another to give Premier the 19 point cushion at the break.
After struggling from the field in the opening half - only 9-for-37 (23.4%) - Wake Forest slowly climbed back into the game in the early stages of the second half.
The Deacs opened the second half on a 9-0 spurt, cutting the deficit to just 10 points, 42-32. Tonia Brown and sophomore Liz Strunk combined for all nine points over that stretch. Premier answered back with a quick five point spurt, thanks to a 25-foot 3-pointer off the glass by former Florida State player Katelyn Vujas and a jumper from the former North Carolina product Juana Brown.
Wake Forest again answered. This time with a 10-0 run, narrowing the Premier lead to five points, 47-42, with 14:14 left in regulation, but Premier and Adams' would put the game away with 10-2 run over the next 2:45. Adams buried two more 3-point field goals in the spurt.
The Demon Deacons would never get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Strunk and Cotelia Bond-Young each scored in double figures. Strunk tallied 13 points, but was just 6-for-21 from the floor, while Bond-Young poured in 12 points on 5-for-14 from the field. Senior Tracy Alston chipped in seven points and nine rebounds.
Wake Forest shot only 32.5% (27-for-83) from the field, but did connect on 15-of-22 from the free throw line. The Deacs struggled mightily from 3-point territory, knocking down only 2-for-16. While Premier Players shot 35.6% (26-for-73) from the floor, they went 16-of-18 from the charity stripe and 14-for-29 from 3-point range.
The Deacs open the 2003-04 regular season this Friday night at Loyola College in Baltimore, Md. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
