Wake Advances in ACC Tournament with 83-73 Win over North Carolina

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – In the opening round of the ACC Tournament, the Wake Forest women's basketball team defeated North Carolina, 83-73, on Wednesday

With the help of All-ACC selection Ivana Raca, the Demon Deacons (15-15) beat the in-state rival Tar Heels (16-14) for the second time in the last 11 days.

Raca shined in the first round win, finishing the game with a career-high tying 27 points while pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds. She helped kickstart the day with 12 of her game-high 27 points coming in the first quarter.

She also led all players with 13 rebounds in the game. The double-double performance was the fifth against ACC opponents this season.

Wake dominated the glass all game long, finishing plus-25 on the boards (47-25). The Deacs pulled down 20 offensive rebounds in the game, helping result in 32 second chance points.

Senior Alex Sharp helped close the game in the second half, scoring 16 of her 19 points in the last 20 minutes while also grabbing 10 rebounds. It is the seventh double-double of the season and the 21st of her career for the Melbourne, Australia native.

Her 10 rebounds now moves her into third on the program's all-time rebounding list with 907 in her four-year career.

Sophomore Christina Morra nearly recorded the Deacs third double-double, posting 19 points and nine rebounds.

"I couldn't be more proud of this team," head coach Jen Hoover said. "We had our warrior spirit all year. Today, we just had different players step up at different times and it was a total team effort and one of our big emphasis coming in was you gotta defend and rebound if you want to move on in March."

The Demon Deacons All-ACC selection helped get Wake off and running in the game, tallying 12 points in the opening quarter. At one point, she scored 10 consecutive points for the Deacs, helping them go on an 11-2 run. This put Wake ahead 16-13 at the 2:53 mark and from that point it would lead the rest of the first half.

Raca led all scorers with 16 points while sophomore Christina Morra also chipped in double figures in the first 20 minutes.

Morra tallied 11 points including a put back layup with 29 seconds left in the half to help the Demon Deacons secure a 37-35 lead heading into the locker room.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

With the help of a hot start from Ivana Raca, Wake Forest jumped out to a lead in the first quarter. The All-ACC selection dropped in 12 points in the first 10 minutes of action to propel the Deacs to a 20-17 first quarter lead.
The Demon Deacons continue to increase their lead at the beginning of the second quarter with the help of a three pointer from Gina Conti. Her make at the 8:47 mark of the second pushed the advantage up to 25-17 for the Deacs.
The inside presence of Christina Morra helped Wake Forest take the lead going into the locker room. The sophomore tallied 11 points on the low block including a put back layup with 0:29 left in the second quarter. It sent the Demon Deacons into the halftime break with a 37-35 lead.
After taking a two-point advantage into the locker room, the Demon Deacons continued to lead through much of the third. With the help of a 6-0 run at the end of the quarter, Wake Forest took a 61-56 lead into the final frame.
After the Tar Heels opening the fourth with a layup, Wake Forest put the game away with the help of the long ball. Conti knocked down her second three of the game at the 9:09 mark. Just a minute later at 7:56, Alex Sharp joined the three-point party, hitting one of her own to push the lead to double digits.
At the end of the 10-0 run, the Deacs held a 71-58 advantage capped off by a Morra jumper at the 7:26 mark.
Through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, Wake Forest only allowed North Carolina to score five points as the lead swelled to 79-61 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Demon Deacons made the most of their opportunities at the charity stripe, knocking down 16-of-18 attempts in the second half to help put the game out of reach.
Senior Alex Sharp was key to help sending Wake Forest to the second round of the ACC Tournament, scoring 14 points in the second half. This included a pair of threes while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
The Demon Deacons controlled the glass all game long, finishing the game with a 47-to-25 advantage. They pulled down 20 offensive rebounds en route to 32 second chance points.

NEXT UP
Wake Forest advances to the second round of the ACC Tournament where they will face No. 5 seed Virginia Tech.

Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. The game can also be seen on RSN/ACCNX.

Purchase your tickets today and come cheer on the Deacs in Greensboro.

Wake Advances in ACC Tournament with 83-73 Win over North Carolina

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Team Stats

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Christina Morra

Gina Conti

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Christina Morra

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Players Mentioned

Gina Conti

Christina Morra

Ivana Raca

Alex Sharp

Wake Forest Athletics