Wake Forest Falls at No. 4 NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's basketball team dropped just its second game of the season Thursday night at No. 4 NC State.

Both of the Demon Deacons' (4-2, 1-1 ACC) losses this season have come at the hands of top-15 opponents after dropping the season opener against No. 14 Arkansas in Fort Myers.

The Wolfpack (7-0, 2-0 ACC) came out hot from the field, knocking down their first 10 shots of the game. They did not miss from the field until the 3:24 mark of the first quarter.

Behind season-best efforts from junior forward Christina Morra and freshman guard Jewel Spear, the Deacs closed the gap to single digits in the second quarter. Spear went a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the first two quarters of play.

Spear finished the night with a season-high 12 points while also pulling down a team-high five rebounds. Morra totaled a team-best 13 points in the loss.

Senior guard Gina Conti posted a team-high four assists, giving her 400 for her career. She is just the sixth player in Wake Forest history to reach the milestone.

The Grove City, Ohio native goes into Sunday needing just 114 assists to break the all-time program record of 513 held by Brooke Thomas (2008-12).

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Wolfpack made their first 10 shots of the game, not missing a field goal until the 3:24 mark of the first quarter. This helped nationally-ranked NC State build its lead out to as much as 18 points in the opening minutes.
The Demon Deacons continued to attack through the low post, finding junior forward Christina Morra on a number of occasions. She had nine of the Deacs 17 points in the first 10 minutes.
Freshman Jewel Spear was another bright spot for Wake Forest in the first two quarters. She connected on 4-of-4 from behind the arc. Her fourth from distance helped trim the Wolfpack lead to single digits with 1:57 left in the second quarter. At that point it was a 41-32 game.
The Deacs' defense held down the NC State attack in the second quarter. The Wolfpack only netted 15 points, allowing Wake Forest to cut it to a 48-34 contest at the midway point.
Spear led the team in scoring in the first quarter with all 12 points coming from behind the three-point arc. She also led the team with three rebounds.
Coming off the bench in the third quarter, sophomore guard Anaia Hoard gave the Deacs some energy with five quick points on a corner three pointer and a fast break runner off the glass.
Freshman guard Navaeh Brown and freshman forward Demeara Hinds also provided quality minutes down the stretch. The freshmen duo combined for 11 points. Hinds also grabbed a season-high four rebounds on Thursday night.
With a youthful lineup on the floor, the Deacs continued to fight and chip away at the deficit in the fourth quarter before falling 79-65 to the No. 4 team in the country.

STANDOUT STAT
Gina Conti became just the sixth player in program history to reach the 400 assist milestone in her career. She now needs just 114 more assists this season to break the Wake Forest program record.

Below is a list of the only players to reach the 400-assist milestone in school history:

WAKE FOREST CAREER ASSISTS
RK      Name                                     No.      Years
1.         Brooke Thomas                    513     2008-12
2.         Nicole Levesque                  488     1991-94
3.         Cotelia Bond-Young            462     2003-06
4.         Gretchen Hollifield             453     1993-96
5.         Amy Privette                         424     1984-87
6.         Gina Conti                            400     2017-21

FROM HOOVER
"There is no quit in this team. We were excited to come in. We felt like we were playing well and were prepared. They were a red-hot team in the first quarter and it kind of buried us. We kept playing hard and we kept working. We need to continue to get better. It's a process of grinding every day and this group does that. I have no doubt we'll bounce back and we'll take a look at the film and learn a lot from it, both individually and as a team."

NEXT UP
The Demon Deacons are back on the road on Sunday to close out the regular season series against North Carolina. It will mark the fourth time the Deacs will play the Tar Heels since Feb. 27.

Tipoff at Carmichael Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.

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Team Stats

Christina Morra

Jewel Spear

Alexandria Scruggs

Gina Conti

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Demeara Hinds

Anaia Hoard

Christina Morra

Jewel Spear

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Demeara Hinds

Anaia Hoard

Christina Morra

Jewel Spear

Wake Forest Athletics