Wake Forest University
North Carolina State
Fourth Quarter Rally Falls Short Against Wolfpack
1/25/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF)
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Alex Sharp scored a career-high 19 points and Ariel Stephenson added 17 as the Wake Forest women's basketball team dropped an 82-68 decision to NC State Thursday (Jan. 25) inside the LJVM Coliseum.
Sharp topped her previous career high of 16 points, which she set last year against NC State on the road and matched earlier this year against Minnesota. The sophomore from Melbourne, Australia finished 8-of-12 from the field while also bringing in five rebounds.
Trailing by 16 heading into the final quarter, the Demon Deacons scored the first five points of the frame to kick-start a 13-2 run, trimming the deficit to five with 5:09 remaining. Stephenson scored five points during the run while Udoh converted back-to-back layups to spark the offense.
The Deacs couldn't trim the deficit anymore, however, as NC State (16-5, 5-3 ACC) responded with an 8-2 run to push the lead back to double digits and close out the victory.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the first half, as neither team was able to build a lead larger than five points. The teams traded baskets throughout the half, combining for three ties and eight lead changes over the opening 20 minutes of play. Sharp scored 12 of her 19 points in the first half while Stephenson added seven.
After NC State took a slim 36-31 lead into halftime, the Wolfpack opened the second half on a 7-2 run to extend the lead to 10 and force a Wake Forest timeout. The visitors would push the lead to 16 before the Deacs began to climb back into the contest.
After playing three of the last four games at home, the Deacs now go on the road for three consecutive games. Wake Forest opens its road trip on Sunday, Jan. 28, at No. 4 Louisville.
