Wake Drops 59-45 Road Contest to No. 9 NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. – After being within seven points entering the final quarter, the Wake Forest women's basketball team fell at the hands of No. 9 NC State, 59-45, on Sunday afternoon in Reynolds Coliseum.

The Demon Deacons (11-7, 4-3 ACC) had a lead on the top-10 Wolfpack (16-1, 6-1 ACC) as late as 5:34 left in the third quarter.

Wake was able to limit the effectiveness of Elissa Cunane, who came into the game averaging a double-double. She only hit one field goal on seven attempts, finishing the game with 10 points and eight rebounds.

For the fourth time in the last five games, Ivana Raca finished the game with a double-double. She had 10 of her game-high 16 points in the first half as she was a key reason the Demon Deacons stuck in with the top-10 Wolfpack.

Raca also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds with nine coming on the defensive glass. She was also one of five Demon Deacons to record a steal in the game.

"We took the lead in the third quarter and I thought we were grinding it out with them," head coach Jen Hoover said. "Neither team was able really to get into a flow in the game. I thought both teams did a great job defensively trying to take away what the other team was trying to do."

Wake Forest was able to get reigning ACC Player of the Week, Cunane, in early foul trouble. She played just five minutes in the first half and scored just two points for the Wolfpack. She did not have a field goal until the 3:12 mark of the third quarter.

The loss of the 6-5 center allowed the Deacs to be effective in the first half. On the final offensive possession of the first half, the Demon Deacons got the ball to Raca on the right elbow.

The Belgrade, Serbia native drove to the low block before spinning back to the middle of the court. Raca's shot went of the glass and in to make it a 31-26 game at the midway point.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Deacs scored on their opening two possessions of the game. On the second, senior Alex Sharp was left open in the right corner and drilled a three to put Wake up 5-0 in the first minute.
Wake Forest continued to stay aggressive against No. 9 NC State. With under a minute to in the first quarter, Ivana Raca made the most of the second chance opportunity, laying it up and in to tie the game at 16-16.
The Demon Deacons hung right with the Wolfpack for the remainder of the first half. Raca ended the final minute on a personal 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 31-26.
After trailing at half, Wake Forest came out of the locker room on a 9-2 run to take a 35-33 lead over No. 9 NC State. The Deacs did much of their work inside as after two layups Gina Conti earned a trip to the line. She knocked down both to give Wake the lead.
Trailing 44-37 heading into the fourth quarter, Wolfpack went on a 9-2 run in the first four minute to stretch their lead to 14 points, the largest of the afternoon.
Despite having 15 attempts from the field, Wake Forest was only able to connect on four in the fourth quarter as they fell to the Wolfpack on the road.

UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons are back home in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Thursday to take on No. 13 Florida State. Wake Forest has won its last five games at home dating back to mid-November.

The game can also be seen on ACCNX with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET).

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Team Stats

Ivana Raca

Gina Conti

Alex Sharp

Christina Morra

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Wake Forest Athletics