Wake Forest University
14-15,5-13ACC
Boston College
15-16,5-13ACC
Deacs, Seniors Battle in Regular-Season Finale Against Boston College
2/26/2023 5:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Junior guard Jewel Spear recorded her ninth game of 20 or more points on Sunday afternoon.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Making one final appearance in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the 2022-23 regular-season, the Wake Forest women's basketball team played a heady game against the Boston College Eagles (15-16, 5-13 ACC) during Sunday afternoon, ultimately suffering a 73-63 setback.
The contest featured Senior Day for the Demon Deacons (14-15, 5-13 ACC), as forward Niyah Becker, guard Kaia Harrison, guard Mack Maier, guard Alexandria Scruggs and forward Olivia Summiel were all honored in a pregame ceremony.
Junior guard Jewel Spear was an anchor on the scoring end, pouring in a game-high 23 points and ringing in four three-pointers. It was the junior guard's ninth game of 20 or more points this year and the 16th time this season she has led the team in scoring. Her Sunday total moved her into the top-15 of career points in program history, currently standing 14th all-time with 1,287.
Harrison posted a line of 13 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals with nine of her points coming in the first quarter. Sophomore guard Elise Williams rounded out the Deacon trio of double-digit scoring, chipping in 10 points. Becker contributed six points and handed out four assists.
Wake Forest was at its best shooting the ball in the first quarter, plugging in a 64.7 field goal percentage. The game featured a total nine lead changes.
The Demon Deacons finish the season with an 11-4 record in home games, marking their sixth-best winning percentage in home games in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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After winning the tip, Wake Forest saw its first points immediately happen on a made layup by Niyah Becker, assisted by fellow senior Kaia Harrison.
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Another senior bucket happened just over a minute later, as Mack Maier broke free to get to the right corner and drain a three-pointer.
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Becker soon drove for her second basket at the 7:36 mark, giving her Deacs a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.
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Jewel Spear next entered the scoring column with a step-back triple from the left wing.
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Wake Forest's defense held Boston College to zero field goals made through over three minutes of action.
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The Eagles broke out of the slump with a layup at 5:41 in the opening quarter, cutting the deficit to 10-6.
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Harrison responded with a short jumper in the paint.
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By the first media timeout, Wake Forest led 12-6 in the contest.
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Harrison made another nice line drive fresh out of the break before ringing in a trey ball, upping the Deacon lead to nine.
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The guard continued her personal scoring run with an up-and-under finish on the next possession.
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Becker drew contact on an AND-1 touch, followed by a second Spear three, as Wake Forest went ahead by a dozen points (24-12).
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Alexandria Scruggs scored her first points of the game on an inside finish with less than a minute to go in the period.
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At the end of the first, Wake Forest stood in front, 26-13.
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The team made 11-of-17 field goal attempts throughout the first ten minutes, including a 4-of-8 clip from three-point distance and making six of seven final shots.
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Entering the second frame, Boston College went on a 9-0 run through the first three minutes.
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An Eagle free throw at the 6-minute mark had Wake Forest's lead standing at 26-23.
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After Boston College knocked down a top-of-the-key triple, the Deacs regrouped in a timeout.
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Back on the floor, Alyssa Andrews rose for a short corner look for Wake Forest's first points of the second quarter.
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Earning the drawn foul on reverse-side attack, Spear made one at the charity stripe.
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The junior guard then swished her third three to give the lead back to the Deacons, 32-30, at 2:20 in the second.
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The two sides traded a basket apiece as the half winded down, and a final Boston College shot from far out fell short.
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Wake Forest narrowly trailed 33-32 at the halftime break.
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Spear led all individuals with 10 points in 18 minutes.
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Harrison and Becker had nine and six points, respectively, with the latter adding four assists.
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The Deacs forced 11 turnovers, handed out nine assists, and shot over 41 percent from three during the first 20 minutes.
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Elise Williams quickly opened the second half with her first points, connecting on a short stepback in front of the Wake Forest bench.
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Right after, Spear kept her sharpshooting active, pulling up for a wing three-pointer.
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She stood at 13 points at the time of play.
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Boston College evened the margin, 37-37, with a lay-in at 7:55 in the third period.
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Three free throws by Spear 90 seconds later brought the favor back to Wake Forest.
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After the Eagles tied things up for a fourth time (41-41), the quarter's media timeout was issued.
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Williams hit a free throw to create yet another tie not long after.
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Trips to the line helped Boston College to go up 47-43 with just over two minutes remaining in the third.
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Scruggs answered with a strong putback finish on the next play before Demeara Hinds scooped a steal and Harrison evened the game at 47 all with a baseline attack.
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The contest continued to act as a back-and-forth affair, as Williams netted a pair of free throws (49-49).
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Boston College scored once more in the period after executing a sideline out-of-bounds play.
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Wake Forest entered the fourth quarter closely behind, 51-49.
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A nice find from Spear to Hinds led to the former getting a look at the free-throw line, with Wake Forest behind just 53-52 after two minutes passed in the fourth.
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Boston College subsequently called for a timeout.
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Williams gave her Deacs the lead, 54-53, at the 7:35 mark – going for a short pull-up.
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The two foes kept the fight going on aggressive boards and paint touches, with the visitors leading by four at the midpoint of the quarter.
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Spear completed a hanging finish to reach over 20 points for the afternoon, under four minutes to go in regulation.
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A pair of layups, followed by a trio of free throws, stretched the Boston College lead to ten.
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Williams stayed aggressive, hunting down a triple right after Wake Forest took the ball out.
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With Wake Forest increasing its defensive pressure, the Eagles took another timeout, still up, 71-63 with under a minute to play.
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Boston College was able to finish things out at the line, as Wake Forest fell, 73-63.
STANDOUT STAT
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Jewel Spear reached her ninth season game of 20 or more points this year. She finished with a game-high 23 points, including four three-pointers.
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In the Deacs' home games this year, Spear held impressive shooting numbers of 43.0 percent from the field, 45.0 from three-point territory, and 82.1 percent from the free throw line.
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Her 23 points on Sunday moved her into the top-15 of career points in program history, currently standing 14th all-time with 1,287.
FROM GEBBIA
"This is a tough one for me. We didn't play defense the way we needed to and we let them get to the free throw line 31 times for the second-straight game. We didn't have a sense of urgency today and that worries me going into postseason play. The month of February has been tough for us. The good thing for us is we go into a whole new season with postseason starting on Wednesday. I still believe in this group and I know we are capable of taking it to another level. We need to come together as a team and find a way to fix some of these issues. Now, we're in a place where we need to win two in Greensboro to keep our postseason hopes alive." - head coach Megan Gebbia
NEXT UP
The Demon Deacons now enter postseason play. Going into Sunday Wake Forest held the No. 11 spot in the conference standings and are set to play in the opening round of the ACC Tournament Wednesday. The Deacs will either be in the No. 11 vs. No. 14 game which tips at 6:30 p.m. or the No. 12 vs. No. 13 game which tips at 1:30 p.m.
For those who are unable to attend on Wednesday, all games through the semifinal round will be broadcast on ACC Network.
