Demon Deacons Take Non-Conference Finale Against UNC-Greensboro
12/20/2024 5:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Redshirt junior Malaya Cowles recorded her second double-double of the season in the final game of 2024 while graduate guard Tamia Jones .
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In the final contest of the calendar year, the Wake Forest women's basketball team closed out non-conference action with a 54-50 home victory over UNC-Greensboro Friday afternoon at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Deacs (7-5, 0-1 ACC) battled in all four quarters and held the Spartans (7-5, 0-0 SoCon) to just 1-of-18 from beyond-the-arc Friday afternoon. Wake Forest is now holding opponents to just .262 percent from three this season, this currently ranks 50th in the nation and fifth in the ACC in three-point defense.
This marks the first time since Feb. 4, 2024 against Georgia Tech the Deacs held an opponent to just one three pointer. Additionally, it was the first win that the Deacs claimed while holding a team to one three since Jan. 29, 2023 in a win over Miami (FL). Miami went on to reach the Elite Eight that season.
Wake Forest's strong defense has been a point of emphasis all season, as the Demon Deacons are holding opponents to just 54.0 points per game, moving Wake Forest to 25th nationally and second in the ACC.
Individually, the Deacs were led by redshirt junior forward Malaya Cowles, who recorded her second double-double of the year and fourth by a Demon Deacon this season as she finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds Friday afternoon.
Additionally, Cowles also logged three blocks and three steals as she became the first Demon Deacon since Milan Quinn on Jan. 14, 2016 to finish a game with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Freshman guard Aurora Sørbye continued her breakout stretch, finishing with eight points and a team-best six assists in a career-high 32 minutes. She also finished with the best plus/minus on the floor Friday afternoon at +11.
Fellow guard Tamia Jones also finished in double digits, as she led the team with 11 on 3-of-6 shooting and added two assists and two steals in the win.
How It Happened
"I am glad to go into the break with a win that we needed. We gritted it out today. I know everyone was tired, but we left it all out there today. We made big free throws when we needed it at the end and we competed the whole 40 minutes on defense. Aurora and Malaya played really well today and that showed up in the stat column. Kennedy also gave us good minutes and that was huge since we were down to seven players at the end. We figured out a way to win down a lot of people and hopefully we can build on that going into ACC season." - Megan Gebbia
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now return to conference play as they open 2025 with a road test against Virginia on Thursday, January 2nd.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
The Deacs (7-5, 0-1 ACC) battled in all four quarters and held the Spartans (7-5, 0-0 SoCon) to just 1-of-18 from beyond-the-arc Friday afternoon. Wake Forest is now holding opponents to just .262 percent from three this season, this currently ranks 50th in the nation and fifth in the ACC in three-point defense.
This marks the first time since Feb. 4, 2024 against Georgia Tech the Deacs held an opponent to just one three pointer. Additionally, it was the first win that the Deacs claimed while holding a team to one three since Jan. 29, 2023 in a win over Miami (FL). Miami went on to reach the Elite Eight that season.
Wake Forest's strong defense has been a point of emphasis all season, as the Demon Deacons are holding opponents to just 54.0 points per game, moving Wake Forest to 25th nationally and second in the ACC.
Individually, the Deacs were led by redshirt junior forward Malaya Cowles, who recorded her second double-double of the year and fourth by a Demon Deacon this season as she finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds Friday afternoon.
Additionally, Cowles also logged three blocks and three steals as she became the first Demon Deacon since Milan Quinn on Jan. 14, 2016 to finish a game with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Freshman guard Aurora Sørbye continued her breakout stretch, finishing with eight points and a team-best six assists in a career-high 32 minutes. She also finished with the best plus/minus on the floor Friday afternoon at +11.
Fellow guard Tamia Jones also finished in double digits, as she led the team with 11 on 3-of-6 shooting and added two assists and two steals in the win.
How It Happened
- After a strong defensive showing from both sides over the first five minutes of the contest, Sørbye got the offense going as she dished out a nice assist to Hinds for a layup before knocking down a three at the 2:57 mark.
- Sørbye's three-pointer kick-started a 9-0 Wake Forest run to end the first quarter.
- A Cowles' jumper following a Jones steal and assist tied the contest at 8-8 with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
- After a Hinds free throw, Jones then added three points of her own with another assist from Sørbye.
- Wake Forest took a 12-8 lead into the second quarter.
- Moore got on the board at the beginning of the second with a jumper on a Conley assist.
- The Spartans cut the deficit to two at the 8:24 mark, but Conley connected on Wake Forest's third three of the afternoon followed by buckets from Hinds and Jordan as the Deacs pushed the lead back to nine (21-12) with five minutes left in the first half.
- Moore made it 24-14 with her first-career three-pointer at the 1:57 mark.
- Theuerkauf earned her way to the line and went 2-for-2 as the Deacs took a 26-22 lead into the locker room.
- Sørbye scored the first Wake Forest points of the second half with a layup assisted by Cowles at the 7:25 mark.
- After the Spartans tied it at 28-28, Cowles regained the lead for the Deacs with a hookshot at the 4:56 mark.
- UNCG took a 33-30 lead at the free throw line, but it didn't last long as Cowles came back with another hookshot followed by another Conley triple with less than two minutes to go in the third.
- Cowles and Sørbye took advantage at the stripe to close out the quarter as the Deacs took a 38-36 lead into the fourth.
- Sørbye picked off an opponent's pass and found Theuerkauf on the other end for a layup to open the fourth quarter.
- After the Spartans tied it at 40-40, Wake Forest went on an 8-0 run over 4:06 of action.
- Jones added six of the eight points during the run with a pair of jumpers and two free throws.
- Cowles hauled in her 10th rebound of the contest and completed her double-double at the 4:44 mark.
- Sørbye made it 50-42 with a driving layup with 2:52 remaining in the game.
- Theuerkauf and Jones were both perfect from the line in the final 30 seconds and helped Wake Forest see out a 54-50 victory over UNCG.
- This season, the Demon Deacons are holding opponents to just 54.0 points per game, moving Wake Forest to 25th nationally and second in the ACC.
- Forcing the Spartans into 16 turnovers, Wake Forest forced double-digit turnovers for the 53rd time in the last 54 games, with the lone game coming against Syracuse on Jan. 11, 2024.
- The 54-game stretch goes back to January of 2022.
- Through 12 games this season, Wake Forest has totaled 113 steals.
- On the opposite end, Wake Forest has taken care of the basketball, allowing opponents just 71 swipeaways through the first 12 contests.
- The Demon Deacons held the Spartans to just 1-of-18 from beyond-the-arc Friday afternoon and are now holding opponents to just .262 percent from three this season.
- This would move the Deacs to 50th in the nation and fifth in the ACC in three-point defense.
- Redshirt junior forward Malaya Cowles recorded her second double-double of the year and fourth by a Demon Deacon this season as she finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds Friday afternoon.
- Additionally, she also logged three blocks and three steals as she became the first Demon Deacon since Milan Quinn on 1/14/2016 to finish a game with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
- It also marked Cowles fifth-consecutive game with at least 10 points and seventh time this season.
"I am glad to go into the break with a win that we needed. We gritted it out today. I know everyone was tired, but we left it all out there today. We made big free throws when we needed it at the end and we competed the whole 40 minutes on defense. Aurora and Malaya played really well today and that showed up in the stat column. Kennedy also gave us good minutes and that was huge since we were down to seven players at the end. We figured out a way to win down a lot of people and hopefully we can build on that going into ACC season." - Megan Gebbia
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now return to conference play as they open 2025 with a road test against Virginia on Thursday, January 2nd.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
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