Wake Forest Athletics
Quarterfinal Run Makes Wake the Darling of the ACC Tournament
3/26/2020 12:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Relive the Demon Deacons' run to the third day of the Women's ACC Tournament.
The Wake Forest women's basketball team entered last week's ACC Tournament in Greensboro as the No. 13 seed and left as the story of the tournament.
The conference season saw the Demon Deacons finish with seven wins, the second most by the Deacs in program history. It included a pair of wins over in-state rivals North Carolina and Duke. Wake Forest also got off to its fastest start in ACC play since the 1987-88 season, winning three of its first four games in conference play.
After all the dust had settled from the ACC tiebreaker rules, Wake Forest had its first-round date set against the No. 12 seeded Tar Heels on Wednesday afternoon.
Entering the conference tournament, the Deacs were coming off their first bye since Christmas break, giving them a unique advantage of having five days of rest leading into the event.
"We gave them off Friday and Saturday," head coach Jen Hoover said. "When they came back on Sunday, they had a refreshed and renewed spirit and energy that we were excited about. I know they felt really ready to go."
On Tuesday, the Demon Deacons made the short jaunt over to Greensboro where they were able to get their first look at the Greensboro Coliseum. A place they made their home for the next three days.
First Round vs. No. 12 Seed North Carolina
Wake Forest got the tournament started on Wednesday afternoon with the tipoff against the Tar Heels coming just after 1 p.m.
Coming off the heels of becoming the Deacs' 23rd All-ACC selection, Ivana Raca came out on fire to open tournament play. She netted 12 of the team's first 16 points in the game. It helped stake Wake to a 20-17 first quarter edge.
The early scoring output became a trend all week long for the junior from Belgrade, Serbia.
She ended the half with 16 points as she was well on her way to a career day.
The Demon Deacons led nearly the entire first two quarters, holding a narrow 37-35 edge at the halftime interval.
"At half, we talked about how we were up on the boards at that point and we talked about that was going to be the difference maker," Coach Hoover said. "If we could rebound, we could get out in transition a bit and get some points on the board."
Wake dominated the glass in the second half, owning a 28-8 rebounding advantage. The Demon Deacons grabbed 11 offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes, resulting in 22 second chance points. On the other end of the floor, the Tar Heels grabbed just one offensive rebound in the final two quarters while having zero second chance points.
Senior Alex Sharp helped to play the role of closer for the Deacs, scoring 16 of her 19 points in the second half including a pair of triples.
The Wake lead ballooned to as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter as Raca put the finishing touches on her career day. Her final stat line had a career-high tying 27 points to go along with a career-high 13 rebounds, helping the Deacs close out their second victory over North Carolina in 11 days with an 83-73 first round victory.
"I have to give credit to my teammates," Raca said. "They were finding me well under the basket, and I took advantage of it."
Second Round vs. No. 5 Seed Virginia Tech
Advancing on the second day of the tournament, the Deacs were faced with a familiar opponent in Virginia Tech. A year prior, the Hokies had knocked out Wake during the first day in Greensboro.
In the first half, Sharp and Raca picked up right where they left off, scoring 16 of Wake's 26 points.
After a slow start to the game offensively, junior Maya Banks helped ignite a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two possessions.
It would remain within two possessions for the rest of the half. At the midway point both teams were knotted up at 26. The Deacs limited the potent offense of the Hokies all afternoon. At halftime, Virginia Tech's leading scorer, Aisha Sheppard, was held scoreless, going 0-of-4 from the field while her team shot just 39 percent.
"I thought the first three or four minutes of playing we had a great game plan," Coach Hoover said. "The team did a great job focusing in on the game plan. The fresher team is going to come out and push you a little bit, but I thought after that we stepped up."
Sheppard, the First Team All-ACC selection, came into the game averaging better than 15 points per game. She was held to just two points on the afternoon while going 0-of-5 from behind the arc.
The Hokies came into the game averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game and in the second half the Demon Deacons all but took away that part of Virginia Tech's offense. Wake held the Hokie offense to just 1-of-9 from behind the arc in the second half while having just one attempt in the final quarter.
That attempt came with a second on the clock as Sheppard launched a three from the left corner. The shot hit the front of the rim, pushing Wake Forest on to the quarterfinals with a 58-55 win.
Quarterfinal Round vs. No. 4 Seed Florida State
By the third day of the ACC Tournament, Wake was the only remaining double-digit seed in the field and was the darling of the tournament.
"Our passion is way bigger than our tiredness," Ivana Raca said.
On Friday, they would look to make history, trying to become the fifth team in program history to advance to the semifinals and the first to win three games in Greensboro.
In their way stood No. 22 Florida State, who the Demon Deacons had taken to the brink twice already this season. During their first matchup in Winston-Salem, Wake nearly erased a 21-point second-half deficit but fell in the end by just five points. In February, the Deacs led for two and a half quarters in Tallahassee before Florida State took the lead for good.
After receiving a double bye, the Seminoles came into the tournament with five days of rest. Wake was excited for the test and coming in playing some of its best basketball of the season.
"This is what makes it fun," Gina Conti said. "When you can play game-to-game-to-game, our adrenaline is okay, and we're excited, who doesn't love to play."
In the first half, Raca cemented her place on the First Team ACC All-Tournament team with 13 of Wake Forest's first 19 points in game. She led all scorers in the first half and ended the afternoon with a game-high 18 points.
Despite her offensive effort, Florida State couldn't miss from the perimeter in the first half, going 8-of-10 from behind the arc.
Three Seminole players had a pair of triples in the first half while the team shot 53 percent from the field. The nationally-ranked Florida State team took a 42-25 lead into halftime and eventually ended the Demon Deacons' run in the ACC Tournament.
In front of Deacon Nation, Wake Forest continued to show plenty of fight in the second half, but it wasn't enough, falling to the eventual runner-up on Friday afternoon.
The conference season saw the Demon Deacons finish with seven wins, the second most by the Deacs in program history. It included a pair of wins over in-state rivals North Carolina and Duke. Wake Forest also got off to its fastest start in ACC play since the 1987-88 season, winning three of its first four games in conference play.
After all the dust had settled from the ACC tiebreaker rules, Wake Forest had its first-round date set against the No. 12 seeded Tar Heels on Wednesday afternoon.
Entering the conference tournament, the Deacs were coming off their first bye since Christmas break, giving them a unique advantage of having five days of rest leading into the event.
"We gave them off Friday and Saturday," head coach Jen Hoover said. "When they came back on Sunday, they had a refreshed and renewed spirit and energy that we were excited about. I know they felt really ready to go."
On Tuesday, the Demon Deacons made the short jaunt over to Greensboro where they were able to get their first look at the Greensboro Coliseum. A place they made their home for the next three days.
Make the most of the moment.#GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/5fQAV2nL3T
— Wake Women's Hoops (@WakeWBB) March 4, 2020
First Round vs. No. 12 Seed North Carolina
Wake Forest got the tournament started on Wednesday afternoon with the tipoff against the Tar Heels coming just after 1 p.m.
Coming off the heels of becoming the Deacs' 23rd All-ACC selection, Ivana Raca came out on fire to open tournament play. She netted 12 of the team's first 16 points in the game. It helped stake Wake to a 20-17 first quarter edge.
Go off, Ivana ‼️
— Wake Women's Hoops (@WakeWBB) March 4, 2020
🎩 12 points already
Q1 2:53 | 16-13 #Deacs pic.twitter.com/bR5BpCkHBm
The early scoring output became a trend all week long for the junior from Belgrade, Serbia.
She ended the half with 16 points as she was well on her way to a career day.
The Demon Deacons led nearly the entire first two quarters, holding a narrow 37-35 edge at the halftime interval.
"At half, we talked about how we were up on the boards at that point and we talked about that was going to be the difference maker," Coach Hoover said. "If we could rebound, we could get out in transition a bit and get some points on the board."
Wake dominated the glass in the second half, owning a 28-8 rebounding advantage. The Demon Deacons grabbed 11 offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes, resulting in 22 second chance points. On the other end of the floor, the Tar Heels grabbed just one offensive rebound in the final two quarters while having zero second chance points.
Senior Alex Sharp helped to play the role of closer for the Deacs, scoring 16 of her 19 points in the second half including a pair of triples.
The Wake lead ballooned to as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter as Raca put the finishing touches on her career day. Her final stat line had a career-high tying 27 points to go along with a career-high 13 rebounds, helping the Deacs close out their second victory over North Carolina in 11 days with an 83-73 first round victory.
"I have to give credit to my teammates," Raca said. "They were finding me well under the basket, and I took advantage of it."
🎩 27 Pts
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) March 4, 2020
🎩 13 Rebs@ivana_raca joins @dearicamarie as one of only ✌️ @WakeWBB players in the last 20 years to hit this mark 👀 pic.twitter.com/19p9YSOVzA
Second Round vs. No. 5 Seed Virginia Tech
Advancing on the second day of the tournament, the Deacs were faced with a familiar opponent in Virginia Tech. A year prior, the Hokies had knocked out Wake during the first day in Greensboro.
In the first half, Sharp and Raca picked up right where they left off, scoring 16 of Wake's 26 points.
A fight to the finish.#GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/8FQ1OA2Wev
— Wake Women's Hoops (@WakeWBB) March 5, 2020
After a slow start to the game offensively, junior Maya Banks helped ignite a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two possessions.
It would remain within two possessions for the rest of the half. At the midway point both teams were knotted up at 26. The Deacs limited the potent offense of the Hokies all afternoon. At halftime, Virginia Tech's leading scorer, Aisha Sheppard, was held scoreless, going 0-of-4 from the field while her team shot just 39 percent.
"I thought the first three or four minutes of playing we had a great game plan," Coach Hoover said. "The team did a great job focusing in on the game plan. The fresher team is going to come out and push you a little bit, but I thought after that we stepped up."
Sheppard, the First Team All-ACC selection, came into the game averaging better than 15 points per game. She was held to just two points on the afternoon while going 0-of-5 from behind the arc.
The Hokies came into the game averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game and in the second half the Demon Deacons all but took away that part of Virginia Tech's offense. Wake held the Hokie offense to just 1-of-9 from behind the arc in the second half while having just one attempt in the final quarter.
That attempt came with a second on the clock as Sheppard launched a three from the left corner. The shot hit the front of the rim, pushing Wake Forest on to the quarterfinals with a 58-55 win.
A. WHOLE. MOOD.
— Wake Women's Hoops (@WakeWBB) March 5, 2020
LET'S GO DEACS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/MZOEMNvMJC
Quarterfinal Round vs. No. 4 Seed Florida State
By the third day of the ACC Tournament, Wake was the only remaining double-digit seed in the field and was the darling of the tournament.
"Our passion is way bigger than our tiredness," Ivana Raca said.
"The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are moving on"#GoDeacs 🎩
— Wake Women's Hoops (@WakeWBB) March 5, 2020
pic.twitter.com/TqH9p4yM73
On Friday, they would look to make history, trying to become the fifth team in program history to advance to the semifinals and the first to win three games in Greensboro.
In their way stood No. 22 Florida State, who the Demon Deacons had taken to the brink twice already this season. During their first matchup in Winston-Salem, Wake nearly erased a 21-point second-half deficit but fell in the end by just five points. In February, the Deacs led for two and a half quarters in Tallahassee before Florida State took the lead for good.
After receiving a double bye, the Seminoles came into the tournament with five days of rest. Wake was excited for the test and coming in playing some of its best basketball of the season.
"This is what makes it fun," Gina Conti said. "When you can play game-to-game-to-game, our adrenaline is okay, and we're excited, who doesn't love to play."
In the first half, Raca cemented her place on the First Team ACC All-Tournament team with 13 of Wake Forest's first 19 points in game. She led all scorers in the first half and ended the afternoon with a game-high 18 points.
Despite her offensive effort, Florida State couldn't miss from the perimeter in the first half, going 8-of-10 from behind the arc.
Three Seminole players had a pair of triples in the first half while the team shot 53 percent from the field. The nationally-ranked Florida State team took a 42-25 lead into halftime and eventually ended the Demon Deacons' run in the ACC Tournament.
In front of Deacon Nation, Wake Forest continued to show plenty of fight in the second half, but it wasn't enough, falling to the eventual runner-up on Friday afternoon.
An unforgettable week in Greensboro.
— Wake Women's Hoops (@WakeWBB) March 6, 2020
We appreciate everyone who came out to cheer us on to the quarterfinals 💛🖤#GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/09FwNL6E8M
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballSteve Forbes - Postgame Presser vs. Navy
Thursday, March 19
Jake Dickert Pre-Spring Press Conference (March 18, 2026)
Wednesday, March 18
Wake Forest Women's Golf: Kim Lewellen Women's History Month Feature
Monday, March 16
Men's Basketball Postgame Presser vs. Clemson, 2026 ACC Tournament
Thursday, March 12