Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Virginia
Deacs Open ACC Season Sunday at Virginia
11/11/2022 12:49:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wake Forest travels to Charlottesville, Va. for the first conference game of the season in a battle between two first-year head coaches.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – After a 2-0 start to the season, the Wake Forest women's basketball team hits the road for the first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season as the Deacs travel to Charlottesville, Va. to take on Virginia on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET in John Paul Jones Arena.
The Deacs (2-0) are coming off their first road win of the season, claiming a 57-46 victory at East Carolina Thursday night in Greenville, N.C. Wake Forest limited the Pirates to just 31.3 percent and 17.6 percent from beyond-the-arc. On the offensive end of the floor, the Deacs were helped by a huge third quarter where they shot 76.9 percent from the field (10-of-13) and 80 percent from behind the arc (4-of-5) to help pull away from East Carolina.
The Cavaliers (2-0) are coming off a 101-46 victory over UMBC on Thursday night. Through two games, Virginia has five players averaging double-figure points. Senior forward Camryn Thomas is averaging 18.5 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game, this includes a double-double effort in the victory over George Washington.
Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (ET) in Charlottesville, Va. For those not at the arena, fans can tune in to ACC Network.
Fans can follow along via the Demon Deacons Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts (@WakeWBB).
STOUT DEFENSE
Through two games this season, the Demon Deacons have limited their opponents to just 51.0 points per game. Additionally, Wake Forest opponents are shooting just 35.0 percent from the field and 22.0 percent from behind the arc.
Last season, Megan Gebbia's American coached team was one of the best in the nation in three-point defense. The Eagles finished the season ranked third in the nation, allowing their opponents to shoot just 24.4 percent from behind the arc.
LAST TIME
Wake Forest vs. East Carolina (Nov. 10)
Result: W, 57-46
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The Demon Deacons were aided by a red-hot shooting performance in the third quarter that helped push the Deacs lead up against the Pirates to as many as 20 points in the quarter.
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Wake Forest was led by preseason All-ACC selection and the league's returning scorer, Jewel Spear. The junior guard netted 23 points for the second time this season while shooting 4-of-9 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Additionally, The Colony, Texas native shot 11-for-14 from the charity stripe.
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Spear's 11 converted free throws marks a new career high.
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SERIES HISTORY
Versus Virginia
Series: Virginia leads 69-9
Last: March 2, 2022
Result: W, 61-52
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Wake Forest erupted for a 14-2 run over the last five and a half minutes, holding Virginia to a near four-minute scoring drought during the span.
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Wake Forest (15-15, 4-14 ACC) was led by a game-high 23 points by sophomore guard Jewel Spear.
CHASING 1,000
After breaking the program record with 30 double-figure scoring games, netting the fourth-most points in school history a season ago with 567 and leading the ACC in scoring with 18.3 points per game, junior Jewel Spear has put herself in position to join exclusive company in the 1,000-point club early in the season.
She goes into the Virginia game with 885 career points, just 115 points away from becoming the 30th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
Additionally, Spear went into the year with a chance to break the all-time threes record in program history:
|
Rank |
Player |
Career Threes |
|
1. |
Cotelia Bond Young (2003-06) |
267 |
|
2. |
Chelsea Douglas (2010-14) |
257 |
|
3. |
Nicole Levesque (1991-94) |
193 |
|
4. |
Heidi Coleman (1995-99) |
191 |
|
5. |
Lakevia Boykin (2009-13) |
167 |
|
6. |
Jewel Spear (2020-Pres.) |
156 |
STANDOUT STAT
The Deacs have owned the arc on both sides of the floor through two games this season, knocking down 17-of-48 (35.4 percent) threes while allowing opponents to shoot just 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) threes. The Demon Deacons have averaged 5.5 more makes per game than their opponents and attempted 5.5 more threes per game than their opponents.
UP NEXT
After consecutive games on the road, the Demon Deacons return home on Thursday for the annual school day game with tipoff scheduled for 11 a.m. against Mercer. The game will also air on ACC Network Extra.
