Wake Forest University
12-9,3-7ACC
Louisville
15-8,6-4ACC
Explosive Third Quarter Lifts Wake Forest Past Louisville
1/26/2023 9:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Junior guard Jewel Spear logged a season-high 34 points as the Demon Deacons improved to 9-1 at home this season. Additionally, Wake Forest earned its first-ever win over Louisville.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Behind a 26-point third quarter and a season-high from junior guard Jewel Spear, the Wake Forest women's basketball team defeated ACC foe Louisville, 67-58, Thursday night at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, marking the Deacs' first victory over the Cardinals in program history.
After trailing by nine at the halftime break, the Demon Deacons (12-9, 3-7 ACC) used an 18-0 run to claim the lead heading into the fourth quarter. They would never trail in the fourth to hand the Cardinals (15-8, 6-4 ACC) their second-straight loss.
Wake Forest was led in the score column by junior guard Jewel Spear as The Colony, Texas native tallied a season-high 34 points, while shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 beyond the arc. Her 34 points mark the second-highest total in her career and most against a conference opponent, trailing just her 40-point game against ETSU as a sophomore.
The Deacs came up clutch at the charity stripe down the stretch, finishing the game plus-11 in free throw makes. Spear ended the night going 14-of-16 from the line to lead. Her makes and attempts from the free throw line were both career highs.
Individually, Spear registered over 50 percent of the Deacs' points Thursday en route to surpassing Alex Sharp for 22nd on the Wake Forest all-time scoring list.
Senior guard Alexandria Scruggs provided big minutes for the Demon Deacons off the bench, making an impact in a multitude of areas. She finished the game plus-24 from in plus/minus, leading all players in that category.
For the eighth-straight game, sophomore guard Elise Williams finished in double figures, posting 11 points. She is now avering double-digit points on the season to join Spear.
Defensively, the Deacs forced 20 Louisville turnovers, while holding the Cardinals to only 23 points in the second half. Additionally, Wake Forest held the ACC's second leading scorer, Hailey Van Lith, to only eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. Of note, Van Lith came into Thursday's contest averaging 20.5 ppg.
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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After both teams committed a turnover to start the contest, Jewel Spear opened the scoring at the 8:38 mark as she canned a triple from the left wing.
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Louisville then responded with 11 unanswered, before Alexandria Scruggs drained a three on an assist from Elise Williams.
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Louisville extended its advantage to eight before a Niyah Becker layup narrowed the Deacs deficit to six.
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The Cardinals held a 14-8 lead at the 3:53 mark of the first quarter.
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Over the ensuing three minutes, Wake Forest cut the lead to four as the Demon Deacons only trailed 18-14 after 10 minutes of play.
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Defensively, the Deacs forced four turnovers in the first quarter.
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Louisville started the second quarter scoring six unanswered, before a layup by Olivia Summiel opened the second quarter scoring for Wake Forest.
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After Morgan Jones of Louisville made a layup to extend the Cardinals lead to 10, Wake Forest went on a 7-2 run to make it a five point game.
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Louisville immediately responded with a 6-0 run of its own.
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Spear knocked down two free throws with six seconds left in the half to narrow the deficit to nine.
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Louisville held a 34-25 lead at the halftime break.
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Wake Forest was led in the score column by Spear as she logged 13 points, while shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
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Liz Dixon of Louisville knocked down a jumper to open the second half, but Wake Forest quickly responded as Williams drained a three.
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The Cardinals then scored four unanswered to extend their lead to 12.
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Wake Forest went on an 18-0 run over the ensuing five minutes to take a 46-40 lead with just over one minute remaining in the third quarter.
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During the Deacs' run, Spear and Williams shot a combined 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
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The duo accounted for 19 of Wake Forest's 26 points in the third frame.
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The Demon Deacons held a 51-45 lead after 30 minutes of action.
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The two sides exchanged baskets over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter as the Deacs held a 55-49 advantage with five minutes remaining in the contest.
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Wake Forest was unable to pull away over the following four minutes as Louisville only trailed by four with 30 seconds left.
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The Demon Deacons went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe, while holding the Cardinals scoreless down the stretch to secure the 68-57 victory.
STANDOUT STAT
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Junior guard Jewel Spear and sophomore guard Elise Williams combined to score 19 points in the third quarter, while shooting a combined 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
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Spear and Williams outscored the Cardinals 19-11 during the third quarter.
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The duo accounted for 67.1 percent of the Demon Deacons' total points Thursday.
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FROM GEBBIA
"We worked so hard to get here and it paid off. We went out and took it. We have more of this to do and this is just the beginning for this group. Jewel had an outstanding performance with a season high. We made so many winning plays. We slowed down and we were deliberate with our decisions. This win is because we continued to grow and learned from all of our previous games leading into this one. Now, it is how we build on this starting on Sunday. I am so proud of this group and they really earned this one." - Coach Megan Gebbia
NEXT UP
The Demon Deacons finish the week at home Sunday afternoon when they play host to Miami for the Pride Game. Pride pins will be distributed to the first 100 fans.
For those who are unable to attend on Sunday, the game can be seen on ACC Network with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
