Wake Forest Nearly Upsets No. 24 Miami in Coral Gables, 59-56

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – In the ACC opener, the Wake Forest women's basketball team nearly knocked off No. 24 Miami on the road, falling 59-56 inside of Watsco Center.

The Hurricanes (9-3, 1-0 ACC) snapped the Demon Deacons (7-5, 0-1 ACC) three-game winning streak Sunday afternoon, using a 10-0 at the start of the fourth to fend off the Deacs.

With nine seconds on the clock and Wake Forest trailing 59-56, the Demon Deacons had a side inbounds in the front court. After the inbound, Christina Morra had a right wing three blocked and Ivana Raca's following layup was off as time ran out.

It would have been the Deacs first ranked win since Feb. 19, 2017 when they knocked off No. 15 NC State on the road. Alex Sharp nearly recorded a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds while Raca finished with a team-high 14 points including 7-of-9 from the free throw line.

"I'm proud of the heart and the soul out kids played with," head coach Jen Hoover said. "To have the opportunity to be in a position to win it at the end, this team is close to where we need to be. We're going to continue to work that is what this team is all about, working hard to get better every day."

For the third consecutive game, a run to start the third quarter helped propel the Deacs to back into the game. Coming out of the halftime break, they went on a 9-0 run in the first two minutes to take a 31-28 edge.

The run helped Wake Forest take a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Miami erased the advantage going on a 10-0 run to start the fourth and never trailed from that point.

After falling behind 8-2 early in the first quarter, the Demon Deacons jumped right back into the game. They went on a quick 7-0 run to take their first lead at 9-8 with 3:53 remaining in the quarter.

They would hold the lead over the nationally ranked Hurricanes for much of the first half. The Deacs clung onto the lead until 2:44 remaining in the first half as Miami jumped in front as a part of a 13-0 run to end the half.

The Hurricanes took a 28-22 lead into the halftime break.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

After trailing 8-2 to start the game, the Demon Deacons answered quickly to take their first lead of the game. An Alex Sharp right-wing drive and layup put the Deacs in front 9-8 with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
Wake Forest limited Miami to just one field goal over the last seven minutes of the quarter to take a 16-11 edge into the second quarter. The Hurricanes did not connect on another field goal until the 7:17 mark of the second quarter.
The Deacs led by as much as seven in the first half at 22-15 with 5:18 remaining in the first half. From that point, they were unable to get on the board the rest of the half as the Hurricanes finished the half on a 13-0 run to take a 28-22 halftime edge.
For the third consecutive game, Wake Forest started the second half on a run. This time the Demon Deacons erased a halftime deficit in the first two minutes. They went on a 9-0 run with a Gina Conti mid-range jumper capping the run at 8:00 in the third. At that point, Wake led 31-28.
After a layup from Conti in the final second s of the third quarter, the Deacs took a 44-38 lead over No. 24 Miami heading into the fourth.
The Hurricanes opened up the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run. Wake had a chance to tie the game with less then 10 seconds remaining, but a three-point attempt from Christina Morra was blocked. Miami held on 59-56 in Watsco Center.

UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons start 2020 on the road when they travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a matchup against Duke on Jan. 2. Tipoff against the Blue Devils is scheduled for 6 p.m. (ET) in Durham, N.C.

Wake Forest Nearly Upsets No. 24 Miami in Coral Gables, 59-56

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Team Stats

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Gina Conti

Christina Morra

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Christina Morra

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Christina Morra

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Wake Forest Athletics