Wake Forest University
NC State
Demon Deacons Upset No. 15/18 NC State, 89-77
2/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Five Demon Deacons finished in double figures as Wake Forest upset No. 15/18 NC State Sunday afternoon inside the Reynolds Coliseum, 89-77.
The victory is the first over the Wolfpack in Raleigh since Feb. 12, 2012 and the first victory over a ranked opponent since the Deacs defeated No. 22/24 Syracuse on March 5, 2015.
Led by Elisa Penna with 21 points, five Demon Deacons recorded double figures, the most since five scored at James Madison in December. Amber Campbell finished with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and Milan Quinn recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Alex Sharp recorded a career-high 16 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine while Ariel Stephenson wrapped up the double figure scoring with 10 points.
Campbell opened the scoring Sunday afternoon with a triple as the shot clock expired. From there, the Wolfpack (20-7, 10-4 ACC) gained an 8-5 advantage but the Deacs (15-12, 6-7 ACC) caught fire and went on a 9-0 run to claim a 15-8 lead in the opening quarter. The Deacs shot 3-of-4 from behind the arc to take a 19-15 lead into the second quarter of play. The Deacs built a six-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the half but the Wolfpack went on a 5-0 run to pull within one. However, the Deacs closed the half on a 6-2 run to take a 37-32 advantage into the locker rooms.
The 37 points for the Deacs were the most that NC State had surrendered in the opening half this season.
The Wolfpack pulled within one early in the second half but a 9-0 run gave the Deacs a nine-point lead with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. The Wolfpack battled back and closed the Deacs' lead to three but the Deacs finished the third frame up 57-51. Wake Forest continued to dominate from beyond the arc as back-to-back triples from Penna and Sharp gave the Deacs a 10-point advantage early in the fourth quarter. Wake Forest built its way up to a 16-point advantage with 4:26 remaining and cruised to the 89-77 victory.
The Deacs finished the game with a 50.8 field goal percentage, their fourth-best of the season, and 8-of-13 from beyond the arc, including 6-of-8 in the second half. The Deacs shot 61.5 percent from long range Sunday, a season-high for Wake Forest while the eight made triples are tied for the third most this season for the Demon Deacons.
Up next, the Demon Deacons play at Syracuse on Thursday, Feb. 26. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
