Sunday, November 10
Winston-Salem, N.C.
5:00 PM
Wake Forest University
2-1,0-0ACC
65
vs
67
UNC Greensboro
1-1,0-0SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
UNC Greensboro
14
17
17
19
67
Wake Forest
13
20
16
16
65
Alex Sharp vs. UNCG
Wake Forest Rally Falls Short in Loss to UNCG
11/10/2019 7:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Wake Forest (2-1) fell to UNC Greensboro (1-1) 67-65 Sunday afternoon at LJVM Coliseum despite 21 points from senior guard Alex Sharp.
"I thought we came out flat today," Wake Forest coach Jen Hoover said. "That's not who we are. We have to come out tough, gritty and hyped. Anytime you bring in a local team, they're going to be excited to come in and beat you."
Sharp led the Deacs in scoring, going 7-for-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
"She had a great game, and she's been sick for two days," Hoover said. "She did really well. I called her number to run a play for her at the end and she stepped up and got a big bucket."
Sharp scored the first four baskets of the game for the Deacs as they jumped out to an 8-4 lead. The Spartans fought back to tie the game at 9-9. Wake Forest guards Gina Conti and Alexandria Scruggs both finished in the paint in the final minute of the first quarter, but an Alexis Pitchford jumper at the buzzer gave UNCG a 14-13 advantage.
Freshman guard Kaia Harrison drove to the basket and finished an old-fashioned 3-point play to give the Deacs a 20-14 lead early in the second quarter.
A strong effort by UNCG's Nadine Soliman continued to kept the Spartans close. She had 12 points and five rebounds at the half. A Gina Conti bank shot provided the difference in Wake Forest's 33-31 halftime lead.
Soliman tacked on 10 more points early in the third quarter, coming over a screen to splash a 3-pointer to give UNCG a five-point cushion midway through the third.
The Deacs countered with a Sharp spin move and finish, drawing a foul on Soliman. Harrison found Conti on the wing for a 3-pointer that brought the Deacs back to within one at 45-44. Ivana Raca's rebound and follow shot gave Wake a 49-48 lead at the end of the third quarter. Raca finished with seven points and eight rebounds.
Soliman led the Spartans with 26 points.
A Conti 3-pointer from the corner gave Wake a 60-57 lead with 4:40 remaining. She then bullied her way to a bucket on the baseline to extend the lead to three with 2:30 to go. The Spartans scored the next eight points to build a 67-62 lead.
"We had key turnovers by veterans," Hoover said.
Sharp drained a corner 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds to go. Conti then knocked the ball away on the ensuing UNCG in-bounds play, but it rolled toward the opposite sideline as time expired.
"We made some plays we needed at the end and had a chance to come back and win it," Hoover said. "It wasn't our day."
The Demon Deacons return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they host UNC Charlotte at the LJVM Coliseum.
"We have to get better," Hoover said. "It's a work in progress. We have to earn it every day. They're tough. They're going to come in as excited to play us as this team was.
"Can we respond and be as excited as they are? We should be. We have to learn. Today was a learning lesson, but now we have to move on."
Conti finished with 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists for the Deacs while the freshman, Scruggs, scored nine points and secured seven boards in the contest.
"I thought we came out flat today," Wake Forest coach Jen Hoover said. "That's not who we are. We have to come out tough, gritty and hyped. Anytime you bring in a local team, they're going to be excited to come in and beat you."
Sharp led the Deacs in scoring, going 7-for-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
"She had a great game, and she's been sick for two days," Hoover said. "She did really well. I called her number to run a play for her at the end and she stepped up and got a big bucket."
Sharp scored the first four baskets of the game for the Deacs as they jumped out to an 8-4 lead. The Spartans fought back to tie the game at 9-9. Wake Forest guards Gina Conti and Alexandria Scruggs both finished in the paint in the final minute of the first quarter, but an Alexis Pitchford jumper at the buzzer gave UNCG a 14-13 advantage.
Freshman guard Kaia Harrison drove to the basket and finished an old-fashioned 3-point play to give the Deacs a 20-14 lead early in the second quarter.
A strong effort by UNCG's Nadine Soliman continued to kept the Spartans close. She had 12 points and five rebounds at the half. A Gina Conti bank shot provided the difference in Wake Forest's 33-31 halftime lead.
Soliman tacked on 10 more points early in the third quarter, coming over a screen to splash a 3-pointer to give UNCG a five-point cushion midway through the third.
The Deacs countered with a Sharp spin move and finish, drawing a foul on Soliman. Harrison found Conti on the wing for a 3-pointer that brought the Deacs back to within one at 45-44. Ivana Raca's rebound and follow shot gave Wake a 49-48 lead at the end of the third quarter. Raca finished with seven points and eight rebounds.
Soliman led the Spartans with 26 points.
A Conti 3-pointer from the corner gave Wake a 60-57 lead with 4:40 remaining. She then bullied her way to a bucket on the baseline to extend the lead to three with 2:30 to go. The Spartans scored the next eight points to build a 67-62 lead.
"We had key turnovers by veterans," Hoover said.
Sharp drained a corner 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds to go. Conti then knocked the ball away on the ensuing UNCG in-bounds play, but it rolled toward the opposite sideline as time expired.
"We made some plays we needed at the end and had a chance to come back and win it," Hoover said. "It wasn't our day."
The Demon Deacons return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they host UNC Charlotte at the LJVM Coliseum.
"We have to get better," Hoover said. "It's a work in progress. We have to earn it every day. They're tough. They're going to come in as excited to play us as this team was.
"Can we respond and be as excited as they are? We should be. We have to learn. Today was a learning lesson, but now we have to move on."
Conti finished with 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists for the Deacs while the freshman, Scruggs, scored nine points and secured seven boards in the contest.
Team Stats
UNCG
Wake
FG%
.361
.442
3FG%
.333
.300
FT%
.667
.571
RB
31
49
TO
12
21
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballForward
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
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