Wake Forest University
Charlotte
Wake Forest Holds Charlotte 56-52
11/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2007
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's basketball team stifled a late-game comeback by Charlotte to defeat the 49ers 56-52 at the Joel Coliseum on Thursday night.
Sophomore guard Alex Tchangoue lead the Demon Deacons (2-0) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, marking her first double-double since Wake Forest faced Clemson in January 2007.
The Deacons charged out to an early lead, holding a 22-4 advantage over the 49ers (0-4) less than ten minutes into the first half. Four Wake Forest 3-pointers helped add to the tally, including two good long range shots by senior Christen Brown.
Aggressive Charlotte defense and 13 consecutive no-gos from Deacon shooters allowed the 49ers to hold the Deacons at 24 points through the final eight minutes of the half. After leading by as much as 18 points, Wake Forest entered the locker room with a two-possession advantage (24-19).
"That was just us being passive," Demon Deacon head coach Mike Petersen said. "They got into our heads and took advantage of it."
After the break, good jumpers by Corinne Groves and Tchangoue, along with a 3-point bucket from Brown, helped get the Deacs back on track with a 31-21 lead with 17 minutes remaining.
Turnover trouble struck Wake Forest in the ladder part of the second half and the Deacons lost possession 11 times through the final 11 minutes. 49ers guard Traci Ray posted four steals against the Deacs in the final Charlotte run, helping her squad get within two points of tying the game with 52 seconds to play.
Made free throws from WFU's Courteney Morris and Brown set the final score at 56-52.
The Demon Deacons had key support from the bench, with freshman Camille Collier putting up 12 points through 25 minutes and Mekia Valentine grabbing five boards and blocking two shots during only 11 minutes of court time.
"This is a great RPI win for us," Petersen said. "Charlotte will win 20 games this season. If we can follow this up with a win at James Madison that would be huge for us."
On Sunday the Deacs will have their first road game of the season in Harrisonburg, Va. where James Madison is set to host at 2 p.m.
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