Wake Forest University
Rutgers
Deacs Close Out Rutgers 55-43
11/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) 
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Aided by a 16-0 run between the second and third quarters, Wake Forest women's basketball pulled away from Rutgers on Thursday night at LJVM Coliseum in earning a 55-43 victory.
Leading 26-20 with 3:11 to go in the first half, Wake Forest finished the second quarter with a 6-0 run and continued out of the break with a 10-0 run over the course of the first 4:29 of the third quarter to take a commanding lead at 42-20 and never looked back from there on the way to the win.
The Demon Deacons improved to 2-1 on the young season while Rutgers was left still in search of its first victory of 2016-17.
The Scarlet Knights opened with the first four points of the game, but Wake Forest quickly went on a 9-2 run midway through the quarter to take the lead and did not surrender it the rest of the way. With two seconds to go in the quarter, Rutgers cut the Demon Deacon lead to just one at 13-12, but that one-point margin was the closest the Scarlet Knights would come the rest of the night as Wake Forest opened the second quarter on another 9-2 run.
In all, Wake Forest outscored Rutgers 19-8 in the second frame to build a 32-20 lead at halftime. The Demon Deacons exploited the quarter Rutgers has struggled in most thus far this year as Scarlet Knights had been outscored 33-17 in the first two games of the season in the second quarter. After Thursday's game, Rutgers has now been outscored 52-25 in the second quarter.
Leading by 12 at the start of the third quarter, Ariel Stephenson hit two three-pointers and fueled a 12-0 Wake Forest run out of the break to build the Demon Deacon advantage to 22 at 42-20.
Down the stretch, Rutgers cut into the Demon Deacon lead with a 12-4 run over a 7:26 margin early into the fourth to pull within 14 at 46-32, but Wake Forest quieted the run by going on a 9-0 stretch of its own to regain control and lead by the largest margin of the night at 23. Rutgers tried to mount a comeback in the final minutes by going on a 10-0 run in the last 3:35 of the game, but it was too late for the Scarlet Knights to mount the comeback.
Stephenson led the Demon Deacons with 21 points on 6-of-14 from the floor. She missed a double-double by one rebound in finishing with nine while adding three assists in 32 minutes. Both Milan Quinn and Elisa Penna scored 10 points. Quinn also pulled down eight rebounds and Penna seven as Wake Forest outrebounded the Scarlet Knights 51-38 on the evening.
With 51 rebounds on the night, it marks the most since Wake Forest pulled down 54 against Clemson in the first round of the ACC Tournament on March 2, 2016. It also marked the 11th 50-plus rebound game for the Demon Deacons since Jen Hoover took over prior to the 2012-13 season.
Wake Forest committed just 12 turnovers in the game, which marks the lowest total since Feb. 6, 2014, when the Deacs committed just seven turnovers in a five-point loss at NC State. The final total was aided by Wake Forest committing only two turnovers in the first half.
The Deacs continue their homestand on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they welcome Eastern Michigan to LJVM Coliseum. A season ago, Eastern Michigan went to the WNIT and are 2-1 on the young season.
