Wake Forest Downs Clemson in Overtime, 69-64

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Behind a 29-point outburst from junior guard Jewel Spear, the Wake Forest women's basketball team defeated Clemson, 69-64, in overtime Sunday evening at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

With the win, the Demon Deacons (14-10, 5-8 ACC) move into sole possession of 10th place in the league standings and are just one game back of earning a bye in the first day. The top nine teams in conference earn a bye from the first round and the top four earn a double bye in the first two rounds.

In their first overtime game of the 2022-23 campaign, the Demon Deacons held the Tigers (13-12, 4-9 ACC) to just 23.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc en route to their fourth-consecutive home win. Of note, coming into Sunday's contest, the Deacs were holding their opponents to just 35.2 percent from the field and just 27.0 percent from the three-point line at home this season.

Trailing by nine with less than 4:30 left in the game, the Deacs turned it on down the stretch, ending regulation on a 13-4 scoring run to send the game into overtime. Spear accounted for nine of those points. After going into that stretch 3-of-14 from three, Spear nailed three consecutive threes to help tie the game at the end of regulation.

The Demon Deacons were led in the score column by Spear as she tallied 29 points, while shooting 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Spear's 29-point outing marked her third-highest scoring output of the season and moved her into a tie with Wake Forest alumni guard Alex Tchangoue (2005-09) for 17th on the Wake Forest all-time scoring list with 1,212. Additionally, she passed three other Demon Deacon basketball alums during the game after entering the game in 21st.

Sunday, Spear was joined in double-figures by senior guard Alexandria Scruggs as she logged 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Senior forward Olivia Summiel also had a solid outing as she registered nine points, five of which came in the opening frame.

Junior forward Demeara Hinds shined defensively as she logged a career-high four blocks. Additionally, Hinds went a stellar plus-12 in plus/minus, leading all players in that category.

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

After winning the tip-off, Clemson scored first as Ruby Whitehorn finished a layup.
- Two minutes later, Kaia Harrison canned a triple from the right wing on an assist from Jewel Spear.
Brie Perpignan of Clemson knocked down a mid range jumper to regain the lead, but the Demon Deacons quickly responded as Harrison drained a jumper from just outside the paint.
The Tigers then went on a 9-0 run to take a 13-5 lead before an Olivia Summiel jumper brought the Deacs within six.
Spear then made back-to-back trey's to even the ledger with just over one minute remaining in the first quarter.
Clemson made consecutive layups to take a four point lead, but a Summiel three with 12 seconds remaining in the first quarter made it a one point game.
The Demon Deacons trailed 17-16 after 10 minutes of action.
- Spear, Summiel and Harrison combined for all 16 of the Deacs' points in the opening frame.
  - The trio combined to make four three pointers in the first quarter.
Wake Forest opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run behind baskets from Alexandria Scruggs, Demeara Hinds and Spear.
- The Demon Deacons outrebounded the Tigers 6-0 over the first four minutes of the second frame.
  - Additionally, the Deacs held Clemson to 0-of-4 shooting from the field during that stretch.
Ale'jah Douglas of Clemson knocked down a three at the 5:07 mark, notching the Tigers' first points of the quarter.
The Demon Deacons then scored consecutive baskets as Elise Williams and Harrison both finished layups.
Clemson made two free throws over the final two minutes of the half to narrow its deficit to six entering the halftime break.
Wake Forest held a 28-22 lead after 20 minutes of action.
- The Demon Deacons outscored the Tigers 12-5 in the second quarter.
  - Defensively, Wake Forest held Clemson to only 1-of-10 shooting from the field during the second quarter.
- Offensively, the Deacs were led by Spear in the first half as she logged eight points.
After a Clemson layup opened the second half scoring, Hinds quickly responded with a layup of her own.
The Tigers then scored seven unanswered to tie the game three minutes into the third quarter.
Shortly after, Williams made a layup to give the Deacs a 32-30 lead.
After a layup from Eno Inyang of Clemson tied the game at 34, neither side scored for over two minutes before a Spear jumper ended the scoring drought.
- Spear's jumpshot sparked a 6-2 Demon Deacon run.
- Clemson made three free throws over the final 90 seconds to pull within one entering the fourth quarter.
Wake Forest owned a 40-39 lead after 30 minutes of action.
Clemson came out aggressive in the fourth quarter as the Tigers outscored the Demon Deacons 12-3 over the first 2:38 of the frame.
Coming out of the media timeout at the 7:22 mark, Spear drained a three from the top of the key to narrow the Deacs' deficit to five.
Clemson scored consecutive field goals to extend its lead to nine, but the Demon Deacons responded with an 11-2 run to tie the game.
- Spear caught fire and canned three triples during the Deacs' run.
Inyang of Clemson made a pair of free throws to give the Tigers a two point lead with just over one minute remaining.
On the ensuing Wake Forest possession, Scruggs made a mid range jumper with the shot clock running down to even the ledger, 59-59.
The Demon Deacons came up with a huge stop on the final possession of regulation to force overtime.
- Defensively, the Deacs smothered Douglas of Clemson and forced her into a contested three from the wing that fell short as time expired.
Summiel knocked down two free throws to give Wake Forest a 61-59 lead seconds into the overtime period.
- Inyang of Clemson then made a free throw to pull the Tigers within one.
The two sides exchanged buckets over the following two possessions before Williams knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to extend the Deacs' lead to four with just over two minutes remaining.
Whitehorn of Clemson finished a layup to make it a two point game with 1:20 left in the contest.
Spear then made a free throw on the other end to give the Demon Deacons a 67-64 lead.
With 12 seconds remaining, Williams blocked a Clemson layup attempt and the Demon Deacons regained possession.
- Summiel then knocked down a pair of free throws on the other end to extend the Deacs' lead to five.
Wake Forest refused to allow a bucket on Clemson's final possession and held on for the 69-64 victory in its first overtime game of the 2022-23 season.

STANDOUT STAT

The Demon Deacons have been spectacular at home this season, holding an 11-1 record with the lone loss coming to a nationally-ranked Duke team. Wake Forest is looking to finish with one of it's best winning percentages at home in program history:

Rank	Season	Wins	Losses	Win Pct.
1.	2022-23	11	1	91.6 pct.
2.	1987-88	11	2	84.6 pct.
T3.	2008-09	15	5	75.0 pct.
T3.	1988-89	9	3	75.0 pct.
5.	2009-10	14	5	73.7 pct.
6.	1989-90	10	4	71.4 pct.
7.	2016-17	12	5	70.6 pct.
8.	2011-12	14	6	70.0 pct.

FROM GEBBIA
"This is one of those survive-and-advance games and we are moving in the right direction. We were down nine with 4:30 to go and we survived. We know we can do that now. We figured things out when we didn't have our best game. Jewel was huge for us and really got us back into it offensively there late. Elise also had a huge three there in overtime to get us up four. Clemson doesn't give up but we didn't give up and showed we wanted this one more than they did. We were grittier than them today, getting on the floor and getting loose balls. That wasn't our best defensive performance especially here at home, but this is a huge step for us to win a game like this. We will enjoy this one, but then lock back in for a big one at home Thursday." - head coach Megan Gebbia

NEXT UP
The Demon Deacons remain home for a Big-4 clash against NC State Thursday night at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Wolfpack go into Sunday ranked at No. 15 in the latest AP poll.

For those who are unable to attend on Thursday night, the game can be seen on ACC Network with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m.

Next Event

Team Stats

Jewel Spear

Alexandria Scruggs

Olivia Summiel

Elise Williams

Players Mentioned

Kaia Harrison

Demeara Hinds

Alexandria Scruggs

Jewel Spear

Olivia Summiel

Elise Williams

Players Mentioned

Kaia Harrison

Demeara Hinds

Alexandria Scruggs

Jewel Spear

Olivia Summiel

Elise Williams

Wake Forest Athletics