Wake Forest University
Minnesota
Deacs Set to Travel to Minnesota for ACC/Big Ten Challenge
11/28/2022 1:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Demon Deacons are set to compete in the final ACC/Big Ten Challenge Wednesday night at Minnesota.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – After remaining undefeated at home on Sunday with a win over Coastal Carolina, the Wake Forest women's basketball team travels to Minneapolis, Minn., facing Minnesota Wednesday for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Deacs (4-3) will look to continue their winning ways after defeating Coastal Carolina on Sunday afternoon. The Demon Deacons were efficient and shared the ball assisting on 76.9 percent of made baskets with three players having five or more assists in the game with senior guard Kaia Harrison setting a new career high while junior guard Jewel Spear tied her career best effort in the win. Wake Forest finished the game with a 1.54 assist/turnover ratio.
The Gophers (4-2) have split their last four games this season with a loss coming to Virginia over the weekend in Charlottesville, Va., 73-70. Minnesota has five players in double figures including four of five starters. Additionally, the Gophers have a young roster this season with 10 of 13 players on the team that are sophomores or younger with four of five starters being underclassmen.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (ET) in the Williams Arena. For those not at the arena, fans can tune in to Big Ten Network Network. A free live stats feed can be found here.
Fans can follow along via the Demon Deacons Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts (@WakeWBB).
ACC/BIG TEN FINALE
In a combined announcement from ESPN, ACC, Big Ten, SEC and Big 12, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is entering its final season.
The ACC, SEC and ESPN Monday announced the formation of the ACC/SEC Challenge for men's and women's basketball, which will begin as part of the 2023-24 season.
ACC and SEC teams will square off as part of the annual Challenge – one in men's basketball and one in women's basketball. Each one of the 28 games (30 starting in 2025-26) will be carried on an ESPN platform and each conference will host an equal number of home games.
Matchups and game times will be announced at a later date.
More on the future ACC/SEC Challenge.
LAST TIME
Wake Forest vs. Coastal Carolina (Nov. 27)
Result: W, 71-56
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Wake Forest also totaled 20 assists on its 26 made baskets with senior Kaia Harrison totaling a career-best six assists to lead the way while senior forward Olivia Summiel and Spear each tallied five assists which were also career highs for the upperclassmen.
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With a season-best 30 points, Spear has now totaled four 30-plus points in her career and continues to add to her career totals. On Sunday, The Colony, Texas native moved into the top five in program history for threes with seven triples. She now has 169 for her career and less than 100 away from the program record.
SERIES HISTORY
Versus Minnesota
Series: Tied 1-1
Last: Nov. 25, 2017
Result: L, 93-81
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Ariel Stephenson led the Demon Deacons (2-3) in scoring, tallying 20 points while tying her career high with five made three-pointers. She also paced the team with seven assists.
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Alex Sharp and Destini Wallker tied career highs with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
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 Minnesota game with 952 career points, just 48 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. |
Jewel Spear (2020-Pres.) |
169 |
|
6. |
Lakevia Boykin (2009-13) |
167 |
CLEANING THE GLASS
Through seven games this season, junior forward Demeara Hinds has been one of the best players on the glass in the country, pulling down 61 rebounds which ranks 42nd nationally and leads all ACC players in offensive rebounds per game. Additionally, she has collected 28 offensive rebounds.
Through seven games played, she ranks third among all Power-5 players with that offensive rebound total and her total is tied for 13th nationally.
Hinds has pulled down nine or more rebounds in the last five of the last six games and 10 or more on three occasions.
STANDOUT STAT
The Demon Deacons have been the best team in the ACC at shooting the three-point shot so far this season, knocking down 8.4 threes per game over their first six games. This also ranks 43rd nationally:
|
Rank |
Team |
Threes Made Per Game |
|
1. |
Wake Forest |
8.4 |
|
2. |
Virginia Tech |
7.7 |
|
T3. |
NC State |
7.3 |
|
T3. |
Pitt |
7.3 |
|
T4. |
Florida St. |
7.0 |
UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons are back at home Saturday when the Deacs host High Point at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
For those who cannot attend, the game can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
