Wake Forest University
13-9,4-7ACC
Miami
13-8,6-4ACC
Deacs Hold Off Miami in Second Meeting
1/29/2023 5:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Demon Deacons held the Hurricanes to a season-low nine percent shooting from beyond the arc en route to their second-consecutive ACC win.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Behind stellar defense and a strong third quarter push, the Wake Forest women's basketball team defeated ACC foe Miami, 55-52, Sunday at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Demon Deacons (13-9, 4-7 ACC) were led offensively by a balanced scoring effort as three players finished in double figures. Senior forward Olivia Summiel was huge, netting four threes on seven attempts, ending the game with a team-high 14 points.
For the ninth straight-game sophomore guard Elise Williams posted double-figure points and helped set the tone coming out of the halftime interval.
In the third, she posted 11 of her 13 points, leading the Deacs to 57 percent shooting in the quarter and Wake Forest started the quarter on a 12-0 run to swing momentum back in its favor. The Deacs led nearly the entire remaining part of the game.
In both matchups, the Deacs held the Hurricanes (13-8, 6-4 ACC) to the season lows in scoring. Additionally, Wake Forest has held the eight teams to 55 points or less in the last 17 games and 61 or less in 14 of the last 17 games.
These are the only two games this season that Miami has been held to less than 60 points. Wake Forest held the Hurricanes to just 1-of-11 from the three-point line when they came in averaging 6.5 threes made per game. Additionally, the Deacs had just eight turnovers when the Canes came in forcing 20 per game and only had one steal against when Miami ranked top-25 in that category at 10.6 per game.
The Hurricanes came into the game ranked 42nd in the country in NET. The Deacs two highest NET wins have come this week after defeating Louisville who was No. 33 in the NET going into Thursday's matchup.
Junior guard Jewel Spear was the third Demon Deacon to post double-figure points, ending the night with 10 points. She is now tied for 21st in program history in scoring with 1,172 career points.
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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Miami jumped out to a 5-0 lead before an Alexandria Scruggs layup marked the Demon Deacons' first points of the contest.
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Shortly after, Destiny Harden drained a jumper to give the Hurricanes a 7-2 lead.
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Demeara Hinds made it a one-possession game as she finished a layup on an assist from Olivia Summiel; however, Miami quickly responded with a layup of its own.
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The Hurricanes held a 9-4 lead after 10 minutes of play.
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Defensively, the Demon Deacons forced four turnovers in the first quarter.
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Wake Forest opened the second frame on a 12-0 run to take its first lead of the game behind baskets from Scruggs, Spear and Summiel.
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Spear scored five-consecutive during the Deacs' run as she finished a layup and canned a trey.
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Miami responded with a 10-0 run to retake the lead before an Olivia Summiel triple evened the ledger, 19-19.
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Kaia Harrison knocked down two free throws, giving the Deacs a 21-19 lead with just over one minute remaining in the half.
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Miami made a pair of free throws 25 seconds later to tie the game, 21-21, entering the halftime break.
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Offensively, the Demon Deacons were led by Scruggs who tallied six points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.
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Defensively, the Deacs held the Hurricanes to only 14.3 percent shooting from three point range.
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Of note, Wake Forest forced seven Miami turnovers during the first half.
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After a Miami layup opened the third quarter scoring, Summiel knocked down a three to give the Deacs a one point advantage.
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The Hurricanes regained the lead shortly after as Lola Pendande made a layup.
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Wake Forest then went on an 11-0 run over the ensuing three minutes to take a 35-25 lead.
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The two sides exchanged baskets for the following two minutes as Wake Forest held a 40-33 lead at the 2:37 mark.
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The Demon Deacons owned a 42-36 advantage after 30 minutes of action.
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Miami went on an 8-2 run to even the score, 44-44, with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest.
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The two teams exchanged field goals before a Summiel triple gave the Deacs a three point lead.
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Summiel then finished a layup after a steal from Williams.
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Miami scored four unanswered to bring itself within one with just over two minutes remaining.
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With 31 seconds left, Jasmyn Roberts of Miami knocked down a jumper to give the Hurricanes a 52-51 lead.
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On the ensuing Wake Forest possession, Spear was fouled attempting a three, resulting in three free throws.
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Sear made 2-of-3 free throws to give the Deacs a 53-52 lead with 18 seconds left.
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The Demon Deacons came up with two stops and knocked down a pair of free throws down the stretch to secure the 55-52 victory.
STANDOUT STAT
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Defensively, Wake Forest held Miami to only 1-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
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The last time the two teams squared off on Jan. 15, the Demon Deacons held the Hurricanes to just 2-of-16 shooting from three point range.
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Coming into Sunday's game, the Demon Deacons were holding their opponents to just 38.3 percent shooting from the field and just 27.9 percent shooting from three this season.
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The opponent shooting percentage ranked 97th in the nation, while the three-point defense ranked 50th.
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FROM GEBBIA
"The biggest thing to me is just limiting our turnovers. That is something that Miami has thrived off all year so to do that really made a difference. Liv was huge for us today knocking down four threes and really stretching her game out to the three point line. Their focus was on Jewel and so many other players stepped up on the offensive end. This is our second-straight big NET win and we hope to start earning our respect in this league. We need to enjoy taking that step in the process but there is still another step we can take. There is a goal for us to achieve still out there, winning on the road in this league. Good thing for us is we are peaking at the right time of the year and I am so proud of this group for continuing to work and grow as we get to the most important time of the year." - Coach Megan Gebbia
NEXT UP
The Demon Deacons hit the road for a midweek battle at No. 24 Florida State Thursday evening in Tallahassee, Fla.
For those who are unable to attend on Thursday night, the game can be seen on ACC Network Extra with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
