Wake Forest University
Virginia
Virginia's Fourth-Quarter Comeback Sinks Wake Forest
1/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's basketball team was unable to capture its first ACC victory of the 2015-16 season, as Virginia used a fourth-quarter rally to claim a 52-50 win in the Demon Deacons' first home conference contest of the year at the LJVM Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
The Deacons fell to 9-7 on the year with an 0-3 league record, while the Cavaliers improved to 12-5 and 2-1 in the ACC.
Sophomore guard Amber Campbell paced the Deacs with 13 points, scoring in double figures for the fourth-straight game and for the 13th time this season. In her LJVM Coliseum debut, freshman forward Elisa Penna picked up her first-career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Wake Forest took a five-point cushion to the fourth quarter, and the final frame was a defensive battle that saw the teams score just two points apiece in the first 7:19. Virginia then reeled off six-straight points to draw within one with under a minute to play. After an Ataijah Taylor free throw put the Deacs up, 50-48, UVA made it 50-50 with a pair of Mikayla Venson free throws.
The Cavaliers then used a Demon Deacon turnover to regain possession and took their first lead since the first half with 15.6 seconds remaining with two free throws by Breyana Mason. Wake Forest could not score on its final possession, allowing Virginia to hang on for the two-point win.
The first half featured a series of runs by each team as the Deacons led early with an 8-0 run after answering a Virginia three-pointer to start the game. After the Cavaliers rallied to tie it at 8-all out of a UVA timeout, Wake Forest scored nine-consecutive points to take a 17-8 lead, but the visitors responded with a 9-0 run of their own that carried into the second quarter to re-tie the score.
Before the half, the Cavaliers erased a six-point Demon Deacon lead that was built on consecutive three-pointers by Campbell and Penna, but the Deacs used baskets by Ariel Stephenson, Penna and Campbell to take a 29-28 edge into the break. During the first 20 minutes, Wake Forest's defense limited the Cavaliers to just two points in the paint. The Deacs finished with a 26-6 advantage in points in the paint but Virginia won the turnover battle as the Deacs committed 31 turnovers to the Cavaliers' 22.
With the loss, Deacon head coach Jen Hoover is now 1-4 against Virginia during her time in Winston-Salem. Hoover was an assistant under Cavalier head coach Joanne Boyle at California from 2008-11. The loss is also the first of the season when Wake Forest led at halftime, as the Deacs are now 7-1 in such games.
Wake Forest next plays Thursday on the road against Miami before returning home for back-to-back games against Syracuse and North Carolina. Opening tip for the Deacs and Hurricanes is set for 7 p.m. in Coral Gables, Florida.
