Wake Forest University
Florida State
Wake Forest to Face Florida State in Second Round of ACC Tournament
3/1/2023 9:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Demon Deacons will look to advance to their third quarterfinal in the last four seasons.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Deacs continue their tournament run in Greensboro! The Wake Forest women's basketball team set to face No. 5 seed Florida State in the second round of the ACC Tournament Thursday at Greensboro Coliseum.
The Deacs (15-15) advanced in the tournament for the fourth consecutive year, holding a record of 5-3 over the run including a 3-0 record in First Round games. Additionally with a win on Wednesday, the Deacs have now eliminated Virginia in back-to-back tournament runs. The Demon Deacons are also 2-1 in Second Round games in the previous three tournaments with wins over North Carolina in 2021 and Virginia Tech in 2020. In five career ACC Tournament games, junior guard Jewel Spear has netted 94 points or an average of 18.8 points per game. She led the way on Wednesday afternoon, pouring in 19 points. The Deacs alo controlled the paint in the win, finishing with a +12 advantage. Wake Forest also forced 16 turnovers resulting in 23 points on the other end of the floor.
The Seminoles (23-8) have taken both games against the Demon Deacons with the last win coming exactly one week ago in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest took the then-ranked Florida State down to the wire and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. The Noles come into the tournament boasting the best offense in the conference and the No. 9 offense in the country, averaging 80.9 points per game. Additionally, they have the No. 8 rebounding average in the nation, posting 43.6 boards per game while also ranking fourth in the country in free throws made per game, averaging 16.5 makes per game. They are led by 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year Ta'Niya Latson, who was also a First Team All-ACC selection and named as a finalist for the Ann Drysdale Award. She averages 21.3 points per game, ranking 10th in the country.
Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. (ET) at Greensboro Coliseum. For those not at the arena, fans can tune in to ACC Network. A live stats feed can be found here. You can also listen to the game on Sirius XM channels 137 or 193. Additionally, it is on the Sirius XM channel app on channel 955.
Fans can follow along via the Demon Deacons Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts (@WakeWBB).
SUPPORT THE DEACS IN GREENSBORO
Postseason play is here. Come make the short drive over to Greensboro for the annual ACC Tournament and support your Wake Forest women's basketball team.
Hosted at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, the tournament will run through the championship game, which is set for noon (ET) on Sunday, March 5.
Purchase your tickets today and come cheer on the Deacs in Greensboro.
FOUR-YEAR RUN AT THE ACC TOURNAMENT
The 2023 tournament marked the fourth consecutive year that the Demon Deacons have advanced in the tournament and Wake Forest is now 5-3 in tournaments over that span. Wake Forest has had plenty of memorable moments over the last four years in Greensboro. Below are some from the previous three years:
Three-Day Run in Greensboro
In the 2020 tournament, Wake Forest entered as the No. 13 with a record of 7-11 in conference play and were set to face Big-4 rivals North Carolina in the first round. With the help of All-ACC selection Ivana Raca, the Demon Deacons beat the in-state rival Tar Heels for the second time in the last 11 days, 83-73.
Raca shined in the first round win, finishing the game with a career-high tying 27 points while pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds. She helped kickstart the day with 12 of her game-high 27 points coming in the first quarter.
Wake dominated the glass all game long, finishing plus-25 on the boards (47-25). The Deacs pulled down 20 offensive rebounds in the game, helping result in 32 second chance points.
In the second round, Wake Forest faced No. 5 seed Virginia Tech. The Demon Deacons limited one of the conference's best offenses to just 37 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from behind the arc en route to a 58-55 victory.
The Hokies came into the game ranked second in the ACC in three pointers made. In the second half, Virginia Tech went just 1-of-9 from three-point range and the Deacs only allowed the Hokies to attempt one three in the fourth quarter.
On the offensive end, Maya Banks provided key minutes on the low block and a spark offensively. The junior, who had eight points in the game, set the tempo in the fourth quarter with three of the Deacs four baskets. This helped push the lead to 50-43 with 6:10 remaining. The Deacs advanced on to play No. 4 seed Florida State.
Junior Ivana Raca led the Deacs offensively for the eighth-consecutive game, netting a game-high 18 points in the loss. Over the course of Wake's three-day stay in Greensboro, she averaged 20.33 points including tying her career-high with 27 points in the Demon Deacons' first round victory over North Carolina.
In her final ACC Tournament appearance, senior Alex Sharp totaled eight points and a team-high five rebounds.
Reaching the Quarters for the Second-Straight Year
After earning a No. 9 seed and a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament with the help of a 8-10 record in conference play, Wake Forest for the second-consecutive year squared off against North Carolina in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.
Freshman guard Jewel Spear helped elevate the Demon Deacons with a career and ACC Tournament performance. The Colony, Texas native knocked down 7-of-10 three pointers and scored a season-high 29 points. Her seven threes tied an ACC Tournament record.
Career performances from seniors Gina Conti and Ivana Raca helped put the game away in the fourth quarter against the Tar Heels. For the first time in her career, Conti recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 assists, posting a double-double by the end of the third quarter.
Raca also had a double-double performance with 21 points and 12 rebounds. As she continued to have big performances against the in-state Tar Heels in Greensboro like in the 2020 tournament. The win helped earn the Deacs a spot in the quarterfinals for the second-straight year and an eventual spot in the NCAA Tournament.
In the second-round, Wake Forest went toe-to-toe with the ACC Regular Season Champion and top-seeded Louisville Cardinals before eventually falling 65-53. For the second time that season, the Demon Deacons took the Cardinals down to the wire with the help of another stifling defensive effort. The effort on the defensive end helped make it a 44-44 contest entering the final 10 minutes of the game.
In both matchups that season, Wake Forest has limited the most potent offense in the league, one that came in averaging 80.5 points per game, to just 65 points. The Cardinals were limited to just just 43 percent shooting for the game and only had one player finish in double figures, freshman guard Van Lith.
The Demon Deacons did an exceptional job of containing two-time reigning ACC Player of the Year Dana Evans, who finished the afternoon just 3-of-15 from the field and eight points after coming in averaging a league-best 21.0 points.
It ended Evans streak of consecutive games in double figures. Prior to this afternoon, she had reached that mark in every game this season and 40 straight games overall, which was the longest streak at Louisville in the last 20 years.
Advancing on Again in the Tournament
Finishing the season as the No. 11 seed in the conference standings, Wake Forest was set to face No. 14 Virginia in the first round of the tournament. Behind a strong fourth quarter, the Deacs captured a 61-53 victory.
Wake Forest erupted for a 14-2 run over the last five and a half minutes, holding Virginia to a near four-minute scoring drought during the span. The Demon Deacons were led by a game-high 23 points by sophomore guard Jewel Spear. Senior forward Christina Morra also brought a major presence, tallying her fourth career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, her second in the last three games.
The Deacs made the absolute most of their attempts from the charity stripe, going 13-of-13 including 7-of-7 in the second half. Advancing on for the third-straight year, Wake Forest met No. 6 seed Georgia Tech in the second round.
Against the top-25 ranked Yellowjackets, Wake Forest displayed a scrappy effort from start to finish – winning the rebounding battle over the Yellowjackets, 43-42, before eventually falling, 45-40. Junior forward Olivia Summiel grabbed 11 of those boards, and freshman forward Malaya Cowles added eight of her own, seven of which were offensive. Additionally, Summiel and Cowles chipped in eight points apiece.
Sophomore guard Jewel Spear led the way in scoring for the Deacs, posting 11 points. Junior guard Kaia Harrison contributed six points, five rebounds, and two steals.
The Deacs held Georgia Tech to 17-of-46 shooting (37.0 percent) while only making four attempts from three-point territory (23.5 percent). The Yellowjackets also struggled to protect the ball, finishing with 19 turnovers.
TOP DEFENSE
Through 30 games this season, the Demon Deacons have done a stellar job of holding their opponents down in shooting and scoring. The Deacs have held their opponents to an average of 59.6 points allowed per game. Wake Forest came into Wednesday ranked 65th nationally and fourth in the ACC in the category.
This is a massive improvement in the rankings from a season ago when the Deacs ended the year ranked 164th nationally and ninth in the ACC in the category at 63.0 points per game.
Wake Forest has held their opponents to just 39.4 percent shooting from the field and just 26.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. The opponent shooting percentage ranks 153rd in the nation, the Deacs also ranked 101st with 3.6 blocks per game and the three-point defense ranked 16th coming into the tournament. The three-point defense leads the ACC and ranks third among all Power-5 programs, trailing just South Carolina, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
The Deacs have achieved a block on 9.0 percent of possessions this season, the fifth-highest rate in the Her Hoops Stats era (2009-10 to present).
Over the last 25 games, the Demon Deacons have been playing their best defense of the season, holding 17 of 24 opponents to 61 points or less and nine opponents in that stretch to less than 55 points.
Over the last 17 games against ACC opponents, Wake Forest has forced 14.9 turnovers including 20 in the win over Pitt, 20 in the win over Louisville, 19 in the win over Clemson and 19 against nationally-ranked Duke.
LAST TIME
Wake Forest vs. Virginia (March 1)
Result: W, 68-57
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The Demon Deacons used a 28-point third quarter to build a 15-point lead before the final frame. As a team, the Deacs went 11-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond-the-arc in the third, including eight points from junior guard Jewel Spear.
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Spear finished the contest with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting in addition to three rebounds and a pair of assists. This marks the 15th time The Colony, Texas native has eclipsed 15 points in a game this season.
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Wake Forest outscored Virginia, 34-22, inside the paint. Additionally, the Deacs added 23 points off 16 forced turnovers, including 11 points off turnovers in the third quarter. The Demon Deacons have now forced 15 or more turnovers in 14 different games this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Versus Florida State
Series: Florida State leads 35-20
Last: Feb. 23, 2023
Result: L – 61-60
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The Demon Deacons held the Seminoles to just 21-of-60 (35 percent) from the field which is over eight percent lower than their season average. Florida State was also limited to just one three on 13 attempts. ACC opponents are now shooting 17.7 percent from behind the arc inside of LJVM Coliseum this year, 16-of-90 from behind the arc.
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This was the first time since Jan. 20, 2019 that Florida State has been held to one or less three-point make in a game.
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Elise Williams paced Wake Forest, as she finished her first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, leading the team in both categories. The sophomore guard scored nine of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. This is the eighth time this season Williams has led the team in scoring.
MAY I ASSIST YOU
Under head coach Megan Gebbia, the Demon Deacons have seen a huge increase in number of assists and percentage of assists on made baskets. Wake Forest currently ranks in the 80st percentile country, assisting on 59.5 percent of made baskets versus a season ago where their 45.0 percent of assists on made baskets ranked in the 4th percentile in the country.
The Demon Deacons had their best game in terms of assisting the basketball in over three seasons as the 23 assists in the win over Longwood marked the most since Nov. 8, 2019 against College of Charleston. Additionally, sophomore guard Elise Williams tied her career-best with eight helpers in the victory. In total, seven Demon Deacons finished the night with at least one assist including five from guard Kaia Harrison and four from guard Jewel Spear.
1,000 AND COUNTING
Junior guard Jewel Spear reached a career milestone in the victory over Charlotte on Dec. 11 as she became the 30th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point club, totaling 17 points. She becomes the first Wake Forest player to join the 1,000-point club since 2020-21.
She continued to climb the rankings as she moved into 14th against Boston College on Sunday. She needs three points to move into the top 13 and 46 points to move into the top 10 in program history:
|
Rank |
Player |
Career Points |
|
10. |
Liz Strunk (2002-06) |
1,352 |
|
11. |
Lisa Stockton (1982-86) |
1,347 |
|
12. |
Jane Jackson (1977-80) |
1,342 |
|
13. |
Lakevia Boykin (2009-13) |
1,309 |
|
14. |
Jewel Spear (2020-Pres.) |
1,306 |
|
15. |
Elisa Penna (2015-19) |
1,269 |
Additionally, Spear went into the year with a chance to break the all-time threes record in program history and moved into the top three and became the third player in program history to reach 200 threes at Virginia Tech and is 30 threes away from moving into second in program history:
|
Rank |
Player |
Career Threes |
|
1. |
Cotelia Bond Young (2003-06) |
267 |
|
2. |
Chelsea Douglas (2010-14) |
257 |
|
3. |
Jewel Spear (2020-Pres.) |
227 |
|
4. |
Nicole Levesque (1991-94) |
193 |
|
5. |
Heidi Coleman (1995-99) |
191 |
OWNING THE ARC
Junior guard Jewel Spear ranks third in the conference with 79 three pointers made (24th nationally) and second in the conference with 2.79 threes made per game (23rd nationally). Additionally, her 79 threes this season ranks in the top five in single-season program history.
Overall as a team, this has been one of the best three-point shooting years in program history, knocking down a 195 threes which is tied for third in program history:
|
Rank |
Threes Made |
Season |
|
1. |
275 |
2004-05 |
|
2. |
215 |
2005-06 |
|
T3. |
195 |
2022-23 |
|
T3. |
195 |
2021-22 |
|
5. |
179 |
2008-09 |
On the defensive side of the floor, Wake Forest is limiting opponents to just 26.7 percent shooting from behind the arc, ranking 17th in the country. This leads the ACC and ranks fourth among all Power-5 programs, trailing just South Carolina, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
The Demon Deacons have been one of the best teams in the ACC at shooting the three-point shot so far this season, knocking down 6.5 threes per game over their first 30 games. This also ranks 121st nationally:
|
Rank |
Team |
Threes Made Per Game |
|
1. |
Virginia Tech |
7.8 |
|
2. |
Florida St. |
7.0 |
|
3. |
Wake Forest |
6.5 |
|
4. |
Clemson |
6.2 |
|
5. |
North Carolina |
6.1 |
BLOCKAGE
Olivia Summiel recorded three blocks against nationally-ranked Florida State on Thursday. She now ranks 62nd nationally with 41 blocks on the season and her total already is the most by a Demon Deacon since the 2015-16 season when Milan Quinn had 49 blocks and Kandice Bell had 42 for the season. Additionally, Summiel is now tied for seventh in program history in blocks in a single season:
|
Rank |
Player |
Year |
Total Blocks |
|
1. |
Lisa Dodd |
1987-88 |
60 |
|
2. |
Mekia Valentine |
2006-07 |
50 |
|
3. |
Milan Quinn |
2015-16 |
49 |
|
4. |
Meki Valentine |
2007-08 |
44 |
|
5. |
Lisa Dodd |
1986-87 |
43 |
|
6. |
Kandice Ball |
2015-16 |
42 |
|
T7. |
2022-23 |
41 |
|
|
T7. |
2018-19 |
41 |
|
|
9. |
Jenny Mitchell |
1989-90 |
40 |
|
T10. |
Dearica Hamby |
2012-13 |
36 |
|
T10. |
2017-18 |
36 |
Her 1.46 blocks per game also rank third in the ACC and 71st nationally.
As a team, the Deacs have blocked 3.7 shots per game which is close to a school record and ranks 101st nationally. The school record was set in 2010-11 when that squad averaged 4.3 blocks per game. Additionally, Wake Forest's 109 blocks this season now ranks in the top 10 in Demon Deacon single-game history and is currently tied for the sixth-highest total in program history:
|
Rank |
Block Total |
Season |
|
1. |
136 |
2010-11 |
|
2. |
132 |
2015-16 |
|
3. |
130 |
2017-18 |
|
4. |
118 |
2011-12 |
|
5. |
116 |
2014-15 |
|
T6. |
109 |
2022-23 |
|
T6. |
109 |
2016-17 |
|
7. |
104 |
2000-01 |
|
T9. |
101 |
2006-07 |
|
T9. |
101 |
2012-13 |
|
T9. |
101 |
2013-14 |
UP NEXT
The winner of the game will face No. 4 seed Louisville (21-10, 12-6 ACC) at 11 a.m. on Friday.
All games through the semifinal round will be broadcast on ACC Network.
