Wake Forest University
6-0,0-0ACC
High Point
2-3,0-0Big South
Deacs Take Down Big South Champions, 79-50
11/24/2021 5:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
With the victory on Wednesday, the Demon Deacons have now tied the best start in over a decade.
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's basketball team captured its second road victory of the season Wednesday, 79-50, defeating the 2021 Big South Champions High Point.
The Demon Deacons (6-0) have now tied their best start since the 2009-10 season and it marks the most wins to start the season since 2008-09 when the Deacs got out to a 12-0 start.
Wake Forest limited the Panthers (2-3) to under 31 percent shooting from the field on Wednesday afternoon while also limiting second-chance opportunities with a dominant performance in the rebounding battle. It helped lead to the largest victory since Nov. 8, 2019 when the Deacs defeated College of Charleston, 106-50.
The Demon Deacons pulled down a season-high 56 rebounds and had a +26 advantage at the end of the contest. The Deacs were led on the glass by the starting duo of senior forward Christina Morra (11 rebounds) and junior forward Olivia Summiel (10 rebounds).
All but one Wake Forest player finished the game with a rebound and all but two scored.
Junior guard Alexandria Scruggs and sophomore guard Jewel Spear finished the night with a team-best 17 points. For Scruggs, it was a career-best as she had previously scored 16 twice in her career.
The Demon Deacons 79 points also marked a season-best and are the most points scored since 82 against North Carolina in the second round of the 2021 ACC Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Sophomore guard Jewel Spear opened the scoring on the second possession of the game when she drove from the top of the key and finished the right-handed layup.
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The Demon Deacons continued to build on the lead, getting inside and establishing their presence in the paint.
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Less than four minutes into the game the Deacs increased the lead to 8-3 with a layup through a foul from senior forward Christina Morra.
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Only one of the Demon Deacons first six baskets came from outside of the paint as Wake Forest led 12-7 into the first media timeout at the 3:33 mark of the first quarter.
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The Demon Deacons continued to build their lead by attacking the paint with a Spear putback layup with just under a minute to play pushing the lead to 12 points at 21-9.
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Wake Forest continued to increase its by attacking the low block. The Deacs scored 22 of its first 30 points in the paint and at that point with a layup from Alexandria Scruggs, the Demon Deacons had increased its lead to 15 points, 30-15.
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Wake Forest had balanced scoring throughout the first half with seven of the first eight players on the floor finding the score column.
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Elise Williams and Spear continued to be a tough tandem for opponents to stop in the early season as the backcourt duo combined for 21 points in the first 20 minutes of action.
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With a three pointer on the final offensive possession of the first quarter, Spear increased her team-high streak of double-digit points to 11 games.
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Spear led all scorers with 12 points at the midway point on 5-of-8 shooting including going 2-for-3 from behind the arc.
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Wake Forest tooke a 12-point advantage into the locker room, leading the Panthers 40-28.
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Olivia Summiel and Morra both tied for the team lead with six rebounds.
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The Deacs, who led by as much as 17 points in the first two quarters, attacked the boards as a group as eight of nine players who saw the floor in the first 20 minutes collected at least one rebound while Wake Forest had a substantial lead in the category at the midway mark.
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The Demon Deacons were +11 in the rebounding column, pulling down 27 rebounds total as the Deacs were well on pace for their season high at that point.
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With good ball movement and their ability to attack the basket, the Demon Deacons continued to increase their lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
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Spear increased her total to 15 points when she converted an and-one opportunity to push the lead to 18 points.
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The lead grew to 21 points when Scruggs drove to the rim and laid it in off a drive from the right wing with just under four minutes to play in the third quarter.
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She continued her scoring run with just under two minutes to play in the quarter as a layup on the right side of the rim increased her point total to 13 points for the game on 5-of-7 shooting.
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By the end of the third quarter, Wake Forest had pushed its lead to 25 points, leading 61-36 entering the final 10 minutes of action.
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The Demon Deacons continued to dominate the glass, increasing their lead to 20-plus on the boards.
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By the end of the third, both Morra (11 rebounds) and Summiel (10 rebounds) had tallied double-digit boards.
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It marked the first time Morra had double-digit rebounds this season and the second time for Summiel.
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Wake Forest closed out its largest win in two years, defeating High Point 79-50.
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This is the fourth time this season the Demon Deacons have held an opponent to 50 points or less.
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All but one Wake Forest player finished the game with a rebound and all but two scored.
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STANDOUT STAT
Wake Forest became the fourth Demon Deacon team since the start of the 1989-90 season to start the season 6-0 or better. Additionally, this is the first time in the Jen Hoover era:
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2021-22 (6-0)
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2009-10 (6-0)
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2008-09 (12-0)
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2004-05 (8-0)
FROM HOOVER
"This was probably our most complete performance of the season. I loved the way that we played from the opening whistle. We attacked the glass and I was especially proud of Liv and Christina, finishing the game with double digits in that area. We also did a good job closing out on their shooters and making their potent three-point attack into tough, contested shots. This led to good run-out opportunities for us. On the offensive end, it was a complete team performance. We shared the ball well and worked well to get good shot opportunities. We will continue to grow as we head back home on Saturday. We can't wait to play back in front of our home fans." - Coach Jen Hoover
NEXT UP
Wake Forest returns home for a matchup with UMBC at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Grab your spot at LJVM Coliseum at GoDeacs.com/Tickets.
If you are not in attendance on Saturday, you can see the game on ACC Network Extra.
