Wake Forest University
14-15,4-14ACC
Georgia Tech
20-9,11-7ACC
Four Deacs Finish in Double Figures in Close Loss to No. 22 Georgia Tech
2/27/2022 3:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
At the conclusion of the game, Wake Forest sits as the No. 11 seed in the conference tournament as it looks to build off back-to-back ACC Quarterfinal runs in 2020 and 2021.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's basketball team nearly upset No. 22 Georgia Tech, 64-56, in the regular-season finale Sunday at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
It was nearly the second consecutive season with a top-25 victory after defeating No. 24 Missouri State during the 2020-21 season.
At the conclusion of the game, Wake Forest (14-15, 4-14 ACC) sat as the No. 11 seed heading into the ACC Tournament and will await confirmation on their seeding following the remainder of Sunday's games. The Deacs head into the conference tournament coming off back–to-back quarterfinal appearances in the 2021 and 2020 ACC Tournaments.
The Yellowjackets (20-9, 11-7 ACC) were held to only two makes from beyond the arc, posting a 14.0 percentage in their three-point shooting (2-of-14). The Deacons got 18 points from its bench, compared to Georgia Tech's 11.
Wake Forest saw four of its own tally double figures in scoring for the seventh consecutive contest: senior forward Christina Morra (14 points), junior forward Niyah Becker (13 points), sophomore guard Jewel Spear (11 points), and freshman guard Elise Williams (10 points).
Morra fell just short in recording her second double-double in as many games – pulling down a team-high nine rebounds. Becker went 6-of-8 from the field and dished out three assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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On one of the best defenses in the nation, the Demon Deacons jumped out to a fast start on the offensive end, scoring on the first three offensive possessions of the game.
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The Deacs jumped out to a 7-3 lead at the 8:27 mark of the first after back-to-back buckets from senior forward Christina Morra.
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Sophomore guard Jewel Spear added a pair of triples in the early few minutes of the game.
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It marked her 82nd and 83rd of her illustrious season.
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The second gave the Demon Deacons a 10-6 advantage at the 6:45 mark of the first quarter.
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The game remained close for the rest of the first quarter with neither team leading by more than five points the entire time.
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After the end of one, the Yellowjackets held a narrow 20-16 advantage over Wake Forest.
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Spear and Morra accounted for 13 of the Deacs 16 first quarter points.
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Wake Forest assisted on four of six made baskets including a pair of dimes from junior forward Niyah Becker.
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A quick three from freshman guard Elise Williams in the second quarter brought the Demon Deacons within three of the Yellowjackets, 22-19, at the 9:30 mark.
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Four minutes later a three from the left corner by junior forward Olivia Summiel again had the Deacs within four of Georgia Tech.
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Morra hit another basket two possessions later to make it a 30-29 game with 3:36 left before halftime.
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Morra had nine points and six rebounds at that point of the game.
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Morra pushed her total to 10 for the game with a free throw at the 1:15 mark.
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On the final possession of the first half, Spear's third three of the game put Wake Forest in front 33-32.
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Morra led all scorers with 10 points at the half while Spear had nine at the midway point.
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Wake Forest turned over Georgia Tech nine times in the first 20 minutes of action.
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The Demon Deacons made the most of their three-point opportunities, shooting 46 percent from behind the arc in the first half (6-of-13). Meanwhile, the Deacs limited the Jackets to just 25 percent shooting (2-of-8) from three.
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The game remained tight for much of the third quarter as layups from Hinds and Becker kept the Deacs within four of Georgia Tech.
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Becker brought Wake Forest within three on a fast break layup off a find from Williams at the 2:31 mark of the third.
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At the end of the third, Wake Forest remained close with the nationally-ranked Yellowjackets. They trailed just 48-41 with 10 minutes remaining.
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Georgia Tech ended the quarter on a small 4-0 spurt.
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Williams opened up the formal quarter from the left wing, hitting a three and tacked on a free throw on the next trip down to make it 50-45 Georgia Tech.
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Becker became the fourth Demon Deacon in double figure points, hitting a midrange jumper with 7:37 left to play.
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Two minutes later with the shot clock running down, Wake Forest pulled within one at 54-53 when Becker banked home a jumper off the glass.
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It pushed her total to 13 points for the game.
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A key three from junior forward Olivia Summiel cut the deficit to 61-56 with 1:31 left in the game.
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Despite playing the Yellowjackets close for the entire game and having a lead over the nationally-ranked team at halftime, Wake Forest fell 64-56 on Sunday.
STANDOUT STAT
Entering Sunday with 522 points on the year, Jewel Spear broke into the program's top-five for points scored in a single season, needing 10 points prior to the game. Her 533 points leads all individuals within the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Wake Forest marked its seventh-straight game with four Deacs scoring double-digit numbers in points:
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Christina Morra - 14 points
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Niyah Becker - 13 points
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Jewel Spear - 11 points
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Elise Williams - 10 points
FROM HOOVER
"First and foremost, I want to thank Christina on her senior day. She has been an invaluable member of this team the last four years and a great example for our younger players both on and off the floor. We showed really good fight against one of the best teams in our conference and one of the better teams in the country. We started out really well and were locking in from the beginning. We just need to do a better job coming out of half and we would have been right there. I am proud of the effort we are playing with headed into postseason and we will continue to work this week before heading to Greensboro." - Head Coach Jen Hoover
NEXT UP
Wake Forest is set to start postseason Wednesday in the first round of the ACC Tournament as the team will either play in the 11 vs. 14 game at 6:30 p.m. or the 12 vs. 13 game at 1:00 p.m.
The Demon Deacons have advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament each of the last two seasons.
Both games will air on Regional Sports Networks.
