Wake Forest University
Virginia
Deacs' Comeback Bid Falls Short In Overtime
2/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, the Wake Forest women's basketball team fought back to force overtime against Virginia on Sunday, Feb. 12, inside the JPJ Arena. The Deacs' comeback effort fell short, however, ultimately falling 60-57.
Ariel Stephenson led all scorers with 21 points after being limited to just two in the opening half. Elisa Penna added 10 points while Milan Quinn and Alex Sharp chipped in nine points each. Quinn and Penna paced the rebounding effort, bringing in nine and eight rebounds, respectively.
Both teams struggled from the field in the opening half, with Virginia (16-9, 5-7) owning a 26-13 advantage as the two teams headed to intermission.
Out of the break, the Cavaliers scored the first bucket of the second half to extend the lead to 16 before the Demon Deacons began their comeback. Down by 12 with just over five minutes to play in the third quarter, Stephenson connected on a 3-pointer which would spark a 10-0 Wake Forest run to close out the quarter. Stephenson hit a pair of triples to start the run and Penna would get a layup to fall to force a Virginia timeout. Stephenson capped the run with a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game headed to the fourth.
In the fourth, Stephenson's jumper with 2:36 remaining gave Wake Forest a 43-42 lead, its first lead since a 3-0 margin in the game's opening minutes. The teams would trade buckets until Quinn was sent to the line with 53 seconds left and the Deacs down two. The senior hit a pair from the charity stripe to even up the contest at 46-all. Penna had an offensive rebound and put back just miss the mark as the buzzer sounded, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Stephenson once again gave the Demon Deacons the lead with a pair of early free throws, but the lead could not be maintained. Virginia's Dominique Toussaint scored 10 of her 19 points in the overtime period to lead the Cavaliers past Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons are back in action on Thursday, Feb. 16, as Duke comes town for an in-state battle. Tip-off inside the LJVM Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.
