Wake Forest University
11-3,1-2ACC
Virginia Tech
11-3,3-0ACC
Deacs Drop Sunday Contest to Virginia Tech
1/2/2022 7:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Demon Deacons battled defensively and on the boards as they were led by 15 points and seven rebounds from sophomore guard Jewel Spear.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's basketball team fell for just the second time at home this season, 66-53, Sunday afternoon to Virginia Tech.
This snapped the Demon Deacons (11-3, 1-2 ACC) two-game winning streak over the Hokies (11-3, 3-0 ACC).
The Deacs were led by a near double-double performance from sophomore guard Jewel Spear, who finished the game with a team-high 15 points while also collecting seven rebounds in the game.
Junior forward Olivia Summiel also nearly ended the Sunday contest with a double-double, leading the Demon Deacons with 10 rebounds while adding eight points to her statline on 3-of-6 from the field.
The Deacs limited Virginia Tech leading scorer in forward Elizabeth Kitley to just 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting. She came into the game shooting 58.3 percent from the field and over the last three games was averaging better than 26 points per game.
Wake Forest continued to be strong on the defensive side of the floor, limiting one of the more potent offenses in the country to just 40.7 percent shooting. Virginia Tech came into the game ranked 26th in the nation in that area at better than 46 percent from the field.
This marks just the second time this season the Demon Deacons have lost at home and the first time in conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Virginia Tech started the game on a 12-0 run before Elise Williams knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key with 4:48 remaining in the first quarter.
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Jewel Spear followed that up on the next possession with a right-handed layup on the drive from the perimeter.
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The Deacs helped work themselves back into the game with the help of the charity stripe. Olivia Summiel and Kaia Harrison each knocked down a pair from the line to make it a 17-12 contest with 1:20 remaining in the opening quarter.
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After 10 minutes of action, the Demon Deacons trailed 19-12 with five separate Deacs finding the scoring column.
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The Deacs continued to inch closer in the second quarter with the help of an early and-one opportunity from Malaya Cowles.
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Spear followed that up on the next possession with another basket to make it a 19-16 game in favor of Virginia Tech.
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Wake Forest had an answer for nearly every Hokies basket to begin the second quarter.
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An Elise Williams jumper from the right elbow made it a 28-23 game with 4:20 left before halftime.
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At that point, the Demon Deacons were doing a great job limiting the offensive attack of the Hokies' leading scorer, Elizabeth Kitley. She had just two points on 1-of-3 shooting in at that point of the second quarter.
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After the basket from Williams, the Hokies proceeded to go on a 7-0 run to push their lead to double digits.
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It ended right before the half when Spear drilled a contested right-wing three to make it 35-I'm We 26 heading into the locker room.
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Spear led all scorers with 10 points at halftime on 4-of-8 shooting.
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The Deacs had a slight lead on the boards with a 20-19 advantage over Virginia Tech.
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Kitley was limited to just one field goal make and just five points total in the opening 20 minutes.
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The Deacs continued to attack coming out of the halftime interval with an Olivia Summiel layup cutting it to a seven-point game.
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Virginia Tech answered with a 6-0 run to extend their advantage to 13 points at the 6:36 mark of the third quarter.
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For much of the third quarter, the Hokie lead remained in double figures.
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By the end of the third quarter, Virginia Tech led by 12 points, 52-40.
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Spear had totaled 15 points by that point and was just three rebounds away from completing her second double-double of the season.
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The Deacs continued to own the advantage on the glass, holding a 29-23 rebounding lead with 10 minutes to play.
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The Deacs played strong defense in the final period of play with Virginia Tech starting 2-of-10 from the field in the fourth.
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Wake Forest was able to trim the deficit back to single digits when Summiel knocked down a right elbow jumper to make it a 60-51 game with 1:05 left to play.
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The Deacs fell for just the second time at home this season, 66-53.
STANDOUT STAT
For the third time this season and sixth time in her Wake Forest career, junior forward Olivia Summiel finished the game with double-figure rebounds. She now is averaging 8.1 rebounds on the season, which is the best mark on the team by 3.0 rebounds per game.
Summiel ranks sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in that category.
FROM HOOVER
"Give Virginia Tech credit. They came out ready to go from the beginning of the game and we were battling from behind early. I am proud of the way this team fought throughout the game and never gave up, but we have to get off to better starts. We have to continue to get better on the glass and consistently win in that area as well as continue to be more consistent on the offensive end of the floor. We will bounce back from this and take some learning lessons into the Miami game on Thursday." - Head Coach Jen Hoover
NEXT UP
Wake Forest makes the trip south to Florida for their first of back-to-back games in the state. The Deacs open up the week at Miami on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Hurricanes.
For those not in attendance in Coral Gables, the game will also be televised on ACC Network Extra.
