Sharp and Conti Reach Milestones in Loss at Pitt

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Wake Forest women's basketball team had their eight-game winning streak against unranked opponents snapped on Thursday night with a 53-48 loss at Pittsburgh.

Amid the Demon Deacons (12-9, 5-5 ACC) road defeat, two Deacs reached career milestones.

Entering the game against Pitt (4-16, 1-8 ACC), Alex Sharp had 996 career points. She knocked down an early three in the first quarter and that would be the only points she scored in the first half.

To open the second half, Wake set up a play for the senior from Melbourne, Australia. She drove to the middle of the paint and knocked down a jumper to cross the 1,000-point mark. She finished the game with a team-high 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for her 18th double-double of her career.

Earlier in the game, Gina Conti moved into eighth place on Wake Forest's all-time assist list, passing Alice Neal (1986-89) with her 341st assist in her career.

Wake Forest, who was up by as much as 12 points in the game, held a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers outscored Wake 20-11 to knock off the Deacs.

The Demon Deacons had two chances in the final 20 seconds to tie the game but both shots were off.

"This is obviously a disappointing loss for us," head coach Jen Hoover said. "We had our opportunities tonight, but just couldn't take advantage. Luckily in this game, you always have a chance to bounce back quickly and we have that one Sunday."

The Deacs jumped out to an early lead with the help of the three ball. They knocked down a trio of threes to jump out to an 11-4 lead with 2:34 left in the first frame.

On the defensive end, Wake held Pitt without a three in the first half as the Panthers were 0-for-6 at the midway point. The Deacs also limited Pitt to just 28 percent shooting in the first half.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Deacs relied on the deep ball to begin the game as three of their four made baskets in the first quarter came from behind the arc. With Ivana Raca knocking down a triple at the 2:34 mark of the first quarter, Wake took an 11-4 lead.
Wake Forest harassed the Panthers the entire first half as it had six steals. In all, the Deacs forced 13 Pitt first half turnovers. It resulted in 13 points off turnovers as the Demon Deacons took a 23-17 edge into halftime.
With her third assist in the first half, Gina Conti moved into eighth on Wake's all-time assist list, passing Alice Neal (1986-89). Conti, who currently has 345 assists in her career, now just needs 15 assists to pass Chelsea Douglas (2010-14) for seventh.
At the 9:09 mark of the third quarter, another Deac reached a milestone. Fight her way to the middle of the lane, Alex Sharp knocked down a jumper to become the 27th member of the 1000-career point club in Wake Forest. It made the score 25-17.
The Deacs pushed the lead up to as much as 12 points in the third quarter before the Panthers worked their way back into the game. Despite a late third quarter charge, Wake took a 39-33 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Demon Deacons led nearly the entire game until 2:48 left in the game. Pitt took their first lead since the first quarter at 47-46. From that point, Pitt led the rest of the way. Wake fell 53-48.

UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons continue their road trip when they travel to Boston College on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles, who play at No. 14 Florida State on Thursday night, have dropped three of their last four games in ACC play as well as falling in their last three home contests.

The game can also be seen on ACCNX with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. (ET).

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Wake Forest Athletics