Wake Forest University
10-4,1-2ACC
Pitt
7-6,0-2ACC
Deacs Capture First ACC Win of Gebbia Era
12/29/2022 8:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Demon Deacons had another strong defensive performance, holding Pitt to 34.5 percent shooting from the field and just 1-of-10 from behind the three-point arc.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Behind another strong defensive effort, the Wake Forest women's basketball team earned a 66-51 victory over ACC foe Pitt Thursday evening at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum to remain unbeaten at home.
This marks the first conference win of the head coach Megan Gebbia era and improves the Demon Deacons (10-4, 1-2 ACC) record to a perfect 7-0 at home this season.
Wake Forest jumped out to an early advantage and remained in control for nearly the entire game against the Panthers (7-6, 0-2 ACC). The Deacs limited Pitt to 34.5 percent shooting from the field and just 1-of-10 from behind the three-point arc. The Demon Deacons came into the game ranked 30th in the country in field goal percentage defense. Additionally, the Demon Deacons forced Pitt to turn the ball over 20 times in the game leading to 17 points off turnovers on the offensive end of the floor.
The defensive effort was led by sophomore guard Elise Williams who finished the night with a career-best six steals and the Deacs finished the game with a season-best 11 steals as a team.
The Demon Deacons shot a season-best 94.7 percent from the charity stripe and knocked down a season-best 18 free throws. It is the most free throws made in a single game since Feb. 13, 2022 when the Deacs defeated Virginia.
Wake Forest was led in the score column by junior guard Jewel Spear as she tallied 22 points Thursday, which marked her fifth game scoring 20 or more points this season. Spear was joined in double-figures by Williams and senior guard Kaia Harrison as they registered 12 points and 11 points, respectively. Of note, Harrison shot a career-best 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Junior forward Demeara Hinds had another solid outing as she recorded eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior Olivia Summiel logged three blocks Thursday bringing her season total to 26. Summiel's 26 blocks this season are the most by a Demon Deacon since the 2018-19 season when Ona Udoh had 41 blocks.
There are only a limited number of home games remaining at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season. Be sure to claim your spot for exciting ACC matchups at GoDeacs.com/Tickets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Pitt opened the scoring at the 9:27 mark as Liatu King drained a hookshot from just outside the restricted area.
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Wake Forest scored four unanswered to take the lead as Demeara Hinds finished a layup and Jewel Spear knocked down a pair of free throws.
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The Demon Deacons then took a 7-4 lead as Spear made the first three-pointer of the game.
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Spear's trey marked her 41st of the season and the 189th of her career.
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Spear currently ranks in the top-20 nationally in three pointers, three pointers per game and three point attempts.
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Two Olivia Summiel free throws extended the Deacs' lead to five at the under-five media timeout.
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Consecutive layups by Alexandria Scruggs and Hinds gave Wake Forest a 13-4 lead, forcing a Pitt timeout with two minutes remaining in the opening frame.
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Coming out of the break in action, Amber Brown of Pitt scored a field goal to reduce the deficit to seven, but the Demon Deacons responded with a 6-0 run to close the quarter.
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Wake Forest held a 19-6 lead after 10 minutes of action.
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The Deacs were led offensively by Spear in the first quarter as she tallied a game-high nine points.
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Defensively, Wake Forest held Pitt to 3-of-16 shooting from the field.
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Less than 50 seconds into the second quarter, Kaia Harrison knocked down a three to extend the Deacs' lead to 16.
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The Demon Deacons maintained their 16-point advantage over the ensuing two minutes before a pair of Pitt baskets narrowed the Deacs' lead to 12.
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Undaunted, Wake Forest immediately responded with a 4-0 run of its own.
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The two sides exchanged field goals for the remainder of the half as Wake Forest took a 34-22 lead into the halftime break.
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Hinds registered six points and a game-high eight rebounds in the first half.
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During the first 20 minutes of play, the Demon Deacons refused to allow a single three-pointer while also holding the Panthers to only 27.6 percent shooting from the field.
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Spear opened the second half scoring at the 7:57 mark of the third as she drained a trey from the wing.
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Pitt made a jumper 21 seconds later, but Spear immediately responded with her second three of the quarter.
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Elise Williams then converted an and-one and Spear knocked down her third three-pointer of the quarter to give the Deacs a 22 point lead.
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Overall, Wake Forest opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run.
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Wake Forest held an 18-point advantage at the under-five media timeout of the third frame.
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Despite several tough baskets by Pitt, the Demon Deacons owned a 51-32 lead after 30 minutes of action.
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Spear tallied a game-high nine points in the third quarter.
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Coming into the fourth quarter, Pitt made adjustments defensively as the Panthers came out in a full-court press.
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As a result, Pitt went on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 13 at the 7:35 mark of the fourth.
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Pitt's defensive pressure proved to be effective as the Panthers only trailed by 10 with just over five minutes remaining.
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Despite Pitt's relentless pressure, Wake Forest held on for a 66-51 victory, marking the first ACC win of the Megan Gebbia era.
STANDOUT STAT
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Wake Forest shot a season-best 94.1 percent from the free throw line Thursday which is the best the Demon Deacons have shot from the charity stripe since the first round of the ACC Tournament last season when Wake Forest finished a perfect 13-of-13 from the charity stripe.
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The season-best 18 free throws made are the most free throws made in a single game since Feb. 13, 2022 when the Deacs defeated Virginia.
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Kaia Harrison (8-of-8) and Jewel Spear (6-of-6) both had standout performances at the line to lead the way for the Demon Deacons.
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FROM GEBBIA
"We played with great effort today and I am really happy that we got this one. Our press was really good today and we forced them to turn the ball a lot. Additionally, we held them to under 35 percent shooting which was a goal of ours. We had three in double figures and really shared the scoring load throughout the game. We also knocked down our free throws at a high clip and that really helped us close out the game in the end. We are going to continue to grow and build on this one going into Clemson on Sunday." - Coach Megan Gebbia
NEXT UP
The Demon Deacons begin the New Year on the road when traveling to face Clemson on Jan. 1 with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m.
For those who cannot attend, the game will air on ACC Network.
