Wake Forest University
12-13,8-10ACC
Oklahoma State
19-8,13-5Big 12
Morra Shines as Deacs Fall in NCAA Tournament
3/21/2021 4:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wake Forest was led by 18 points for the junior from Toronto as she finished just one point shy of her career-high.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Wake Forest women's basketball team dropped a 84-61 contest to No. 8 seed Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon in San Antonio.
The Demon Deacons (12-13) were led by junior forward Christina Morra who nearly had a career day in her postseason debut. The Toronto, Ontario native netted 18 points with 11 coming in the first 20 minutes of the game.
The Cowgirls' (19-8) All-American forward Mack ended the afternoon with 27 points and 15 rebounds while also hitting her average of four blocks.
Seniors Gina Conti and Ivana Raca also had impressive lines for the Demon Deacons.
Raca posted her 10th double-double of the season and her 18th of her career. She rallied 13 points while pulling down a team-best 10 boards.
Conti, a Grove City, Ohio native dished out a game-high nine assists. No other player on either had more than six in the game.
With the total on Sunday, she moved into second place on the all-time Wake Forest assist list.
She ended the afternoon with 10 points to her name.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was a battle in the post in the opening minutes with Christina Morra netting the first two baskets for the Demon Deacons.
- She started 3-for-3 from the field, coming on low post moves to put Wake Forest up 6-4 at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter.
- After a pair of steals from Ivana Raca and Jewel Spear, the Demon Deacons turned those into quick points on the other end of the to increase the Wake Forest lead to 12-8 with 4:15 left in the first quarter.
- The game remained close through the remainder of the first quarter with neither team holding more than a four-point lead.
- After one quarter of play, the score was tied 15-15 with Raca and Morra combining for 13 points in the opening 10 minutes.
- At the beginning of the second quarter, the Cowgirls scored the first nine points to take a 24-15 lead.
- Spear answered back to end the run with a corner three at the 6:56 mark of the second.
- The Oklahoma State lead grew to as much as 14 points in the second quarter, but the Deacs continued to have an answer on the other end of the floor.
- A key three from Gina Conti at the 3:11 mark of the second quarter brought the game back to single digits.
- It was a 34-25 game at that point.
- A key three from Gina Conti at the 3:11 mark of the second quarter brought the game back to single digits.
- Through 20 minutes of play, Wake Forest trailed 42-29.
- Christina Morra had her best half of basketball in her Demon Deacon career, netting 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
- Raca added six points all coming in the first quarter.
- Gina Conti had three assists, moving into second on the Wake Forest all-time assist list.
- The Demon Deacons continued to fight throughout the third quarter.
- Christina Morra continued to do work on the low block, netting seven points through the first eight minutes of the quarter.
- It increased her total for the game to 18 points, one shy of her career best of 19 points.
- Christina Morra continued to do work on the low block, netting seven points through the first eight minutes of the quarter.
- The Deacs went into the fourth quarter still trailing by 14 points at 64-50.
- A corner three from Spear opened up the final quarter, cutting it to just 11 points.
- Wake Forest was as close as 11 points multiple times before a run from Oklahoma State pushed the deficit to 18 points.
- The Cowgirls went on a 7-0 run forcing Wake Forest to call a timeout down 73-55 with 5:34 left in the game.
- A corner three from Spear opened up the final quarter, cutting it to just 11 points.
- The Demon Deacons were not able to get any closer in the fourth, falling 84-61 on Sunday afternoon.
- Senior forward Ivana Raca finished the afternoon with a 13-point, 10-rebound performance for her 10th double-double of the season and the 18th in her career. After four years, she sits ninth on the scoring list with 1,482 and 10th in rebounding with 715 boards.
- Gina Conti nearly recorded her second double-double in the last three games, posting 10 points and a game-high nine assists in the loss.
- Christina Morra tallied a team-best 18 points, leaving her just one point shy of her career high.
STANDOUT STAT
With a game-high nine assists on Sunday afternoon, Gina Conti moved into second place on the all-time assist list. She came in needing three assists to move into second. With the nine assists, she finished just one dish shy of her second career double-double.
After four seasons in Winston-Salem, Conti has collected 494 career assists while also being one of three players in program history to have 1,000 career points and 450 career assists.
FROM HOOVER
"I give a lot of credit to Oklahoma State. They have had a great year and they have a couple phenomenal players. Their team as a whole and their coaching staff is great. Every time we punched them or gave them a hit, they hit us back. We are really disappointed because we are proud of what this team was able to accomplish this year. Our two seniors, they were not satisfied with just getting us here. We wanted to win.
Our seniors believed in us and they put a lot of effort and leadership into what we were able to accomplish this year. It is a new standard for Wake Forest. We sat in the locker room and they told the team that now, this is expected, and we are expected to not only get to the tournament, but to win when we get there. That is what this program is going to be about."" - Head Coach Jen Hoover
2020-21 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Wake Forest made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history and the first time since 1988 (33 years ago).
- Head Coach Jen Hoover was a freshman on the team and helped lift Demon Deacons to the NCAA Second Round with a game winning basket on March 16, 1988 over Villanova.
- The Demon Deacons grabbed six wins over top-50 NET teams this season in the first year the women's game used the system, this included a top-25 victory over No. 24 Missouri State in the opening weekend of the season and two wins over in-state rival North Carolina.
- Jen Hoover becomes just the eighth person to lead her alma mater to the NCAA Tournament as both a player and as a coach.
- During the season, Hoover became the Deacs' all-time win leader totaling 126 wins in her nine seasons at Wake Forest. She achieved the mark against in-state rival North Carolina in the opening round of the ACC Tournament on March 4.
- Senior Gina Conti rose to second in program history on the all-time assist list with 494 in her four seasons at Wake Forest.
- She became the 29th player to reach 1,000 points in her Demon Deacon career against Florida State in the regular season finale.
- Additionally, she is just the third player to accumulate 1,000 career points and 450 points in program history.
- Conti earned second team All-ACC honors and was a two-time ACC Player of the Week.
- She became the 29th player to reach 1,000 points in her Demon Deacon career against Florida State in the regular season finale.
- Ivana Raca became just the fourth player in program history to be named a First Team All-ACC selection as she averaged nearly a double-double per game.
- After four seasons she ranks in the top 10 in both scoring (ninth with 1,482 points) and rebounding (10th with 715 boards).
- The Belgrade, Serbia native is just the fourth player to accomplish this feat in Wake Forest program history.
- After four seasons she ranks in the top 10 in both scoring (ninth with 1,482 points) and rebounding (10th with 715 boards).
