Wake Forest University
12-12,2-11ACC
Clemson
9-16,3-11ACC
Five Deacs Finish in Double Figures in Loss at Clemson
2/10/2022 4:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
For the second consecutive game, junior Kaia Harrison finished with a pair of career highs in the road defeat.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- The Wake Forest women's basketball team fell at Clemson, 87-78, on Thursday afternoon.
The Demon Deacons (12-12, 2-11 ACC) are now 7-1 against the Tigers (9-16, 3-10 ACC) in the last eight games at Littlejohn Coliseum. Additionally, the Deacs hold a 12-5 advantage in the series over the last 17 games against Clemson.
For the first time in conference play and just the second time overall in the 2021-22 season, the Demon Deacons ended the game with five or more players in double-figure scoring.
Sophomore guard Jewel Spear was the top scorer for the Demon Deacons for the 21st time in 24 games played this season. 11 of her team-high 18 points came in the fourth quarter as she went 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from behind the arc in the final 10 minutes.
They were also led by the sixth double-figure game of the year for senior forward Christina Morra as her 16 points marked the most since Florida State on Dec. 30 when she posted 17 points in the victory.
She also ended the afternoon with nine rebounds to lead the way for the Demon Deacons.
For the second consecutive game, junior guard Kaia Harrison went for a career-high in the scoring column. She finished the game with a career-high tying 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting. The Baldwin, N.Y. native also ended the day with a career-best effort at the free throw line. Harrison connected on 7-of-10 shots at the charity stripe while also adding a team-best and career-high five assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Niyah Becker scored the first four points for Wake Forest, starting with a spin move inside the lane, less than 30 seconds after tip-off. Her opening basket was followed by a pull-up jumper, two minutes later.
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The game's first media timeout was signaled early at the 7:13 mark with Wake Forest in front 4-2.
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Becker made another field goal shortly afterwards.
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Clemson struggled with fouls early on, tallying three in four minutes.
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Nevertheless, the Tigers trailed by only one point midway in the first quarter, after knocking down a turnaround jumper near the free-throw line.
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A backdoor finish from Becker had her standing at a 4-of-4 start from the field in seven minutes of play.
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Free throws by Kaia Harrison and a Jewel Spear three-pointer extended Wake Forest's lead to 14-8.
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The Deacs successfully completed four consecutive shot attempts during the stretch of momentum.
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Clemson started to find a groove, adding in six straight points to cut into the deficit, 16-14.
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Alexandria Scruggs checked in to give Wake Forest a triple from the left corner, late in the first.
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The Tigers responded by converting a layup, and the Deacons ended the opening period in front, 19-16.
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Becker netted eight points in the opening frame while Spear had five for the Deacs.
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Wake Forest finished the first quarter shooting 60 percent on 6-of-10 from the field. Additionally, the Deacs had four assists on those made baskets.
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Jumping in for a steal, Scruggs drew a foul and went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe before Clemson rattled in a three-pointer.
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Elise Williams then went coast-to-coast for a floater, keeping Wake Forest narrowly in front, 24-21, following two minutes into the second frame.
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After Harrison rose up for a short jumper, the Deacon defense created a near-broken possession before the Tigers called for a timeout at 7:34.
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Taking advantage of a few drawn fouls, Clemson took its first lead of the contest, 27-26, with just over five minutes remaining in the second period.
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The Tigers went on a 8-0 run over two and a half minutes.
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Becker got Wake Forest back in the scoring column with two makes at the line.
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She became the first Deac to reach double-figures.
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Immediately after, Scruggs finished a hanging layup to give Wake Forest a slight edge again, 30-29.
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Back-and-forth play then took place, with Harrison tying the score at 34-34 with 1:29 to go in the half.
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Clemson scored twice more before time expired in the second, taking a 38-34 lead into halftime.
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Becker scored ten points in the first 20 minutes while only missing one attempt from the floor (4-of-5). She also added three rebounds and two assists.
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Wake Forest shot 44 percent as a team in the first half.
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The rebounding battle was close, with Clemson pulling down 18 boards versus Wake Forest's 17.
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Every Demon Deacon who played in the first half grabbed at least one rebound.
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Both teams also scored 18 points in the paint.
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After Clemson finished an offensive putback, Olivia Summiel got open for a left-handed layup as the third quarter opened.
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A pair of freebies and a mid-range connection gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the afternoon, 46-36.
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Wake Forest subsequently took a timeout to talk things through.
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A three-point play by Williams once again created a two-possession game. The Deacs trailed 46-41.
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Clemson answered by dropping in two triples and steadying its advantage, 52-43, leading into the quarter's media timeout.
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Coming out of the timeout, both teams went through a slight scoring drought.
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Williams swished in her eighth point on a trey ball before chipping in a free throw, decreasing Clemson's lead to seven.
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Harrison and Christina Morra each added in points late, but Clemson rang in another three-pointer for a 59-50 lead after three quarters.
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Williams and Morra scored seven and six points during the period, respectively.
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A 5-0 push to begin the fourth quarter put Clemson ahead, 64-50.
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Williams netted her second three-point basket on the ensuing possession, giving her a team-best 12 points at that point.
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Spear reached her tenth point with 6:28 left in regulation on a right-wing three.
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With five minutes to go, Morra threw up a hook shot, but Clemson remained in front by double-figures, 72-58.
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Morra piled in four additional points for a personal 6-0 run.
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At 3:09 on the clock, Harrison became the fifth Deac to reach double-digits in scoring, making two free throws.
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She continued to play as one of the Deacs' best scoring options of the quarter, totaling … in the fourth.
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Spear cashed in a shot from just inside the arc with 1:25 remaining, as Wake Forest remained down, 85-70.
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Two corner threes from Spear followed, with the team making five of seven field goals.
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Wake Forest tried to make something happen late, but ultimately fell, 87-78.
STANDOUT STAT
Five players for Wake Forest finished with 10 or more points during Thursday's matchup. This marked the first time in conference play this season that the Demon Deacons had five of their own finish with double-figure points.
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Jewel Spear: 18 points
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Christina Morra: 16 points
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Kaia Harrison: 14 points
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Elise Williams: 12 points
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Niyah Becker: 10 points
FROM HOOVER
"The last two games have really showed what I thought we were capable of doing on the offensive end before the season started. We had five finish in double figures and really had balanced scoring throughout our lineup. We did a good job of sharing the basketball tonight. We need to continue to work on the defense side of the ball and get back to the defense that we were playing at the beginning of the season when it helped us win games. We will continue to grow before coming home on Sunday against Virginia. This team has a lot of fight left in us as we look to close the regular season strong." - Head Coach Jen Hoover
NEXT UP
Wake Forest is back home on Sunday, Feb. 13 for a test against Virginia. Sunday will also be the Demon Deacons annual Play4Kay game, benefiting cancer research. Anyone who wears pink on Sunday can go to the LJVM Coliseum ticket window for a free ticket to the game.
