Wake Forest University
Indiana (Paradise Jam)
Deacs Take Thrilling 55-53 Turkey Day Win over IU
11/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2007
Day 1 - Corinne's Photos
Day 2 - Corinne's Photos & Paradise Jam Media Pics
ST. THOMAS, U.S.V.I. - Two charity stripe shots from Corinne Groves gave the Demon Deacons the winning edge over Indiana with 17 seconds left in regulation in the 2007 Paradise Jam tournament opener at the University of the Virgin Islands.
Wake now sits at 3-1 for the year, its best start to the season since 2004. The loss was Indiana's first loss of the year, setting the Hoosiers back to 3-1.
Groves posted her first double-double of the year in Wake's thrilling win, with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Alex Tchangoue nearly notched her second of the year with nine points and 13 boards.
The Deacons struggled in shooting through the first minutes of the half, going one for seven in the opening eight minutes, allowing the Hoosiers to build a 15-4 lead. Groves got the Deacs on the board with a pair of free throws at the 18:50 mark and followed with a good jumper a minute later.
With 13:14 left before the halftime break, the Demon Deacons stalled the Hoosiers with a 7-0 run. Freshman Kem Wilson added three points during the streak, putting up a couple of points in the paint and netting one from the charity stripe to make the contest a two-possession game (15-11).
The Deacons took advantage of opportunities at the line, shooting 75 percent from the line in the first half.
Despite the solid free throw shooting, Wake Forest was 0-6 in three-point shooting and 8-24 in field goal shots.
"At halftime I told the team the most important thing for us is our mindset," Head Coach Mike Petersen said. "We were intimated by them. We were afraid to take good shots and we were playing passively. I said the scoreboard would start to change as soon as we changed our mindset."
Freshman Camille Collier came up with a huge play at the 14:02 mark in the second half, nailing a jumper with one second left on the shot clock to put the Demon Deacons within one point of knotting the contest (36-35). The key shot proved to be the momentum shift that Wake had been searching for.
The Deacons took their chance to grab the lead for the first time in the game on the next possession, when Tchongoue took an open 3-point shot, setting the score at 38-36. The bucket was part of a six minute 11-0 Deacon run that set the Deacons with a 40-36 advantage.
Indiana had an opportunity to regain the lead when Amber Jackson drew a foul from Tchongoue at the 5:25 mark. The 6-2 forward missed her first shot, and the Hoosiers settled for a draw with five minutes left in regulation (43-43).
The Deacons recovered on the next possession with another 2-point jumper from Groves, but Indiana's Jamie Braun tied the contest for the second time with a good bucket with 2:49 left to play.
Field goals by Christen Brown and Courteney Morris gave the Deacons a 47-51 edge with just over 90 seconds left play, but a Hoosier layup and a crucial three-pointer from Braun tied the contest a final time at 53-53 with 37 seconds to play.
Groves stepped in to draw the final foul from junior Kim Roberson with 17 seconds left, netted the two shots, and gave the Deacons the opening win in the St. John's Division of Paradise Jam 2007.
"We played as hard as we could in the second half," Groves said. "We knew we had to step up. We proved that we wanted it and it feels great."
The Demon Deacons will continue play in the Virgin Islands on Friday, when they battle Texas A&M at 3:30 EST.
