Wake Forest University
#8 Virginia
Deacs Fall to Cavaliers in ACC Tournament
3/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
CONWAY, S.C. -- Elisa Penna scored a team-high 12 points as No. 9-seed Wake Forest fell to Virginia, the No. 8 seed, 61-44, Thursday afternoon in the second round of the 2017 ACC Tournament inside the HTC Center on the campus of Coastal Carolina University.
Alex Sharp nearly had her second consecutive game with 10 or more rebounds as she ended the afternoon with nine, including five offensive. Milan Quinn and Ariel Stephenson each scored seven points for the Deacs.
Wake Forest (15-15, 6-10 ACC) entered Thursday's contest having won a game in the ACC Tournament in eight consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in the ACC. The Deacs were unable to extend the streak to nine years, as Virginia's (19-11, 7-9 ACC) defense clamped down on the Deacs.
The Demon Deacons found themselves in an early hole as Virginia used a 13-0 run to build a 17-5 lead in the opening quarter. Penna's triple ended the run, but the Cavaliers took a 19-8 advantage into the second quarter.
Virginia led 25-14 heading into the break, and extended the advantage to 22 early in the third quarter before the Deacs started to mount a comeback in the closing minutes of the period. Penna and Milan Quinn led the Deacs on a 10-4 scoring run, combining to score eight of Wake Forest's 10 points.
The Demon Deacons looked poised to close the gap even more, as the team scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 12 with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. Wake Forest's comeback effort fell short, however, as the Cavaliers closed out the game to advance onto the ACC Tournament quarterfinals where they will face No. 1 overall seed Notre Dame.
The Demon Deacons now wait to see if they will participate in postseason tournament. Tournament invitations will be announced on Monday, March 13, after the completion of all conference tournaments.
