Sunday, February 4
Winston-Salem, N.C.
2:00 p.m.
Wake Forest University
vs
Georgia Tech
Deacs Look to Close Weekend Strong Against Georgia Tech
2/3/2024 2:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wake Forest will look to claim its first conference win of the season Sunday afternoon in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum with the 2:00 p.m. tipoff airing on ACC Network Extra.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest women's basketball team will look to close out the weekend strong at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum with its first matchup of the season against Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon.
The Demon Deacons (4-17, 0-9 ACC) will be looking for their highest NET win of the season as Georgia Tech currently sits at No. 72 in the latest release of the ranking. Last season, the Deacs split the season series against the Yellowjackets, winning 51-50 at home in January. Wake Forest has navigated one of the most difficult schedules in the country, as the Deacs' average opponent NET now ranks fifth nationally.
The Yellowjackets (13-9, 4-6 ACC) are on a three-game slide with all three losses coming against nationally-ranked opponents. The Jackets have done a good job of sharing the basketball this season as they rank third in the league and 48th nationally with 16.0 assists per game. This includes Tonie Morgan who comes into Sunday ranked 18th nationally with 116 assists on the season. From behind the arc, Rusne Augustinaite has been one of the better sharpshooters in the ACC this season, totaling 53 threes which rank second in the league while also having a 36.8 percentage which is third in the league.
Tipoff for Sunday is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (ET) at LJVM Coliseum.
For those not at the arena, fans can tune in to ACC Network Extra for Sunday's game. A live stats feed can be found here for Sunday. You can also listen to the game on GoDeacs.com/Watch.
Fans can follow along via the Demon Deacons Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts (@WakeWBB).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Over the course of the season, the Demon Deacons have navigated one of the toughest schedules in the country as the Deacs currently sit at No. 4 in the Average Opponent NET Rank metric in the country. This includes seven games against NET top-50 teams and 14 teams in the NET top-100:
NCAA Average Opponent NET Rank
1. UConn
2. Creighton
3. Maryland
4. Stanford
5. Wake Forest
Additionally since the start of conference play, all but one team that Wake Forest has played was either ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll.
The strong schedule has seen Wake Forest rise 13 spots overall in the NET rankings since the start of conference play.
COWLES GETS IT GOING
Malaya Cowles posted five points, three rebounds and a steal.
Additionally, she has shot a stellar 54-of-82 (65.9 percent) from the floor while inside LJVM Coliseum.
SCRUGGS MAKING MOST OF SENIOR SEASON
Alexandria Scruggs made her 138th appearance in a Wake Forest uniform Sunday, adding to her program-record that she set in the previous game against No. 13 Virginia Tech. Additionally against Boston College, Kaia Harrison solely moved into second place in the all-time games played list:
RK Name Years Games Played
1. Alexandria Scruggs 2019-Pres. 138
2. Kaia Harrison 2019-Pres. 134
3. Lakevia Boykin 2009-13 130
4. Brooke Thomas 2008-12 129
Dearica Hamby 2011-15 129
Milan Quinn 2013-17 129
Amber Campbell 2014-18 129
8. Secily Ray 2008-12 128
Sandra Garcia 2009-13 128
10. Chelsea Douglas 2010-14 126
In six of the last 11 games, Scruggs posted double-figure points. Overall, she has recorded double-digit points seven times this season.
Offensively, Wake Forest was led by an inspiring performance from graduate guard Alexandria Scruggs, finishing the night with a team-high 14 points on 7-of-10 field goals while also collecting three rebounds against Clemson.
Over the last three games, Scruggs has been 12-of-19 from the field (63.2 pct.).
Through 21 games she leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per game, her highest average of her career by nearly 1.0 rebounds per game.
ASSISTS ON MADE BASKETS
The Demon Deacons recorded 15 assists on 20 made baskets (75.0 percent) versus the Hurricanes.
Wake Forest has had 10 or more assists on 17 separate occasions this season.
This season, the Deacs have assisted 269 of 453 made field goals (59.4 percent). This matches the same percentage from last season and ranks in the 72nd percentile.
FORCING TURNOVERS
Defensively, the Demon Deacons forced double-digit turnovers for the 31st time in the last 32 games, with the lone game coming against Syracuse on Jan. 11. The 31 game stretch goes back to January of 2022. In total, the Deacs forced 12 turnovers by Miami.
In total, the Deacs forced 20 turnovers by Clemson. This included nine steals from five different players.
The 20 turnovers are the highest total forced in ACC play both this season and during the Gebbia era as well as tied for the second-highest total this season, marking the most since forcing 25 in the opening game of the North Shore Showcase against BYU:
1. vs. BYU - 25 turnovers forced (Nov. 18, 2023)
T2. at Clemson - 20 turnovers forced (Jan. 28, 2024)
T2. vs. NC A&T - 20 turnovers forced (Nov. 15, 2023)
The Demon Deacons forced 15 Florida State turnovers, despite the Seminoles coming into the game averaging only 11.2 per game.
Of note, Florida State came in ranked top-10 in the country in turnover offense. Additionally, the Deacs won the turnover battle, despite the Seminoles averaging a +4.2 turnover margin over their first 13 games of the season.
Against Villanova, the Demon Deacons turned the Wildcats over a season-high 10 times in the game as Villanova came into the contest second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Prior to that, Wake Forest forced 19 Saint Louis turnovers, the second-most the Billikens had committed in a single game this season and it resulted in 20 points on the other end for the Demon Deacons.
In the Deacs' game against BYU, they forced 26 turnovers, marking the most since January 22, 2017 against Georgia Tech when the Demon Deacons also forced 26 turnovers in the game. Additionally, it was the first time since December 18 and 21, 2017 against Charlotte and College of Charleston that Wake Forest has produced 20 or more opponent turnovers in back-to-back games. It marked the first time since March 16, 2017 (Washington State) that a Power-5 team had forced BYU into 26 or more turnovers.
FROM THE LINE
Graduate guard Kaia Harrison went 2-of-2 from the free throw line Thursday against Miami. Overall this season, Harrison is 63-of-76 (82.9 pct.), ranking sixth in the ACC and 86th nationally in free throw percentage.
Williams is averaging a career-best 83.9 percent from the stripe (47-of-56) this season. She is now ranked ninth in program history in free throw percentage:
Through 21 games this season, Wake Forest has seen a massive uptick in free throw shooting percentage, going from 66.0 percent (343-of-520) last season to 72.9 percent (210-of-288) this season.
On Thursday, the team went 6-of-7 from the charity stripe (85.7 percent). This is the seventh time in the last eight games the Demon Deacons have shot 70 percent or better and fourth time overall above 80 percent.
ELISE'S HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
Junior guard Elise Williams recorded her third-career double-double as she notched 14 points and 10 rebounds in addition to seven assists. It marked the first double-double by a Demon Deacon since Demeara Hinds against Morgan State last season on March 16, 2023.
Additionally, it was just the third 14-10-7 or better game in the Her Hoops Stats era (2009-10) by a Wake Forest player and first since Dearica Hamby against Pitt on March 5, 2014.
She followed that up with another impressive statline against Notre Dame with nine points, five assists and five rebounds.
Since the start of ACC play, Williams leads the team with 10.3 points per game while also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
LAST TIME
Wake Forest vs. Miami (Feb. 1)
Result: L, 54-72
Versus Georgia Tech
Series: Georgia Tech leads 50-28
Last Time: Feb. 16, 2023
Result: L, 55-63
Sunday four-packs are available for six games for the upcoming 2023-24 season including four ACC home matchups at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A four-pack includes four tickets and four popcorn vouchers for just $28. The games with four-packs available:
UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons are scheduled for their first Big-4 matchup of the season Thursday afternoon when the Deacs hit the road against Duke.
The 7:00 p.m. tipoff against the Blue Devils will also air on ACC Network Extra.
The Demon Deacons (4-17, 0-9 ACC) will be looking for their highest NET win of the season as Georgia Tech currently sits at No. 72 in the latest release of the ranking. Last season, the Deacs split the season series against the Yellowjackets, winning 51-50 at home in January. Wake Forest has navigated one of the most difficult schedules in the country, as the Deacs' average opponent NET now ranks fifth nationally.
The Yellowjackets (13-9, 4-6 ACC) are on a three-game slide with all three losses coming against nationally-ranked opponents. The Jackets have done a good job of sharing the basketball this season as they rank third in the league and 48th nationally with 16.0 assists per game. This includes Tonie Morgan who comes into Sunday ranked 18th nationally with 116 assists on the season. From behind the arc, Rusne Augustinaite has been one of the better sharpshooters in the ACC this season, totaling 53 threes which rank second in the league while also having a 36.8 percentage which is third in the league.
Tipoff for Sunday is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (ET) at LJVM Coliseum.
For those not at the arena, fans can tune in to ACC Network Extra for Sunday's game. A live stats feed can be found here for Sunday. You can also listen to the game on GoDeacs.com/Watch.
Fans can follow along via the Demon Deacons Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts (@WakeWBB).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Over the course of the season, the Demon Deacons have navigated one of the toughest schedules in the country as the Deacs currently sit at No. 4 in the Average Opponent NET Rank metric in the country. This includes seven games against NET top-50 teams and 14 teams in the NET top-100:
NCAA Average Opponent NET Rank
1. UConn
2. Creighton
3. Maryland
4. Stanford
5. Wake Forest
Additionally since the start of conference play, all but one team that Wake Forest has played was either ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll.
The strong schedule has seen Wake Forest rise 13 spots overall in the NET rankings since the start of conference play.
COWLES GETS IT GOING
Malaya Cowles posted five points, three rebounds and a steal.
Additionally, she has shot a stellar 54-of-82 (65.9 percent) from the floor while inside LJVM Coliseum.
- 8-of-12 vs. Wofford
- 2-of-2 vs. NC A&T
- 10-of-13 vs. Villanova
- 2-of-4 vs. Texas A&M
- 9-of-13 vs. Charlotte
- 3-of-9 vs. Norfolk State
- 5-of-5 vs. Marshall
- 1-of-2 vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech
- 6-of-11 vs. Syracuse
- 6-of-7 vs. No. 19 Notre Dame
- 2-of-5 vs. Miami
- FIELD GOAL PCT. (minimum 50 attempts)
- 1. Lisa Dodd 1987-88 .647
- 2. Ona Udoh 2019-20 .623
- 3. Jenny Mitchell 1988-89 .616
- 4. Jenny Mitchell 1990-91 .610
- 5. Jenny Mitchell 1989-90 .606
- 6. Malaya Cowles 2023-24 .588
- 7. Ona Udoh 2018-19 .587
- 8. Jenny Mitchell 1987-88 .572
- 9. Lisa Dodd 1986-87 .567
- 10. Alice Neal 1986-87 .563
SCRUGGS MAKING MOST OF SENIOR SEASON
Alexandria Scruggs made her 138th appearance in a Wake Forest uniform Sunday, adding to her program-record that she set in the previous game against No. 13 Virginia Tech. Additionally against Boston College, Kaia Harrison solely moved into second place in the all-time games played list:
RK Name Years Games Played
1. Alexandria Scruggs 2019-Pres. 138
2. Kaia Harrison 2019-Pres. 134
3. Lakevia Boykin 2009-13 130
4. Brooke Thomas 2008-12 129
Dearica Hamby 2011-15 129
Milan Quinn 2013-17 129
Amber Campbell 2014-18 129
8. Secily Ray 2008-12 128
Sandra Garcia 2009-13 128
10. Chelsea Douglas 2010-14 126
In six of the last 11 games, Scruggs posted double-figure points. Overall, she has recorded double-digit points seven times this season.
Offensively, Wake Forest was led by an inspiring performance from graduate guard Alexandria Scruggs, finishing the night with a team-high 14 points on 7-of-10 field goals while also collecting three rebounds against Clemson.
Over the last three games, Scruggs has been 12-of-19 from the field (63.2 pct.).
Through 21 games she leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per game, her highest average of her career by nearly 1.0 rebounds per game.
ASSISTS ON MADE BASKETS
The Demon Deacons recorded 15 assists on 20 made baskets (75.0 percent) versus the Hurricanes.
Wake Forest has had 10 or more assists on 17 separate occasions this season.
This season, the Deacs have assisted 269 of 453 made field goals (59.4 percent). This matches the same percentage from last season and ranks in the 72nd percentile.
FORCING TURNOVERS
Defensively, the Demon Deacons forced double-digit turnovers for the 31st time in the last 32 games, with the lone game coming against Syracuse on Jan. 11. The 31 game stretch goes back to January of 2022. In total, the Deacs forced 12 turnovers by Miami.
In total, the Deacs forced 20 turnovers by Clemson. This included nine steals from five different players.
The 20 turnovers are the highest total forced in ACC play both this season and during the Gebbia era as well as tied for the second-highest total this season, marking the most since forcing 25 in the opening game of the North Shore Showcase against BYU:
1. vs. BYU - 25 turnovers forced (Nov. 18, 2023)
T2. at Clemson - 20 turnovers forced (Jan. 28, 2024)
T2. vs. NC A&T - 20 turnovers forced (Nov. 15, 2023)
The Demon Deacons forced 15 Florida State turnovers, despite the Seminoles coming into the game averaging only 11.2 per game.
Of note, Florida State came in ranked top-10 in the country in turnover offense. Additionally, the Deacs won the turnover battle, despite the Seminoles averaging a +4.2 turnover margin over their first 13 games of the season.
Against Villanova, the Demon Deacons turned the Wildcats over a season-high 10 times in the game as Villanova came into the contest second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Prior to that, Wake Forest forced 19 Saint Louis turnovers, the second-most the Billikens had committed in a single game this season and it resulted in 20 points on the other end for the Demon Deacons.
In the Deacs' game against BYU, they forced 26 turnovers, marking the most since January 22, 2017 against Georgia Tech when the Demon Deacons also forced 26 turnovers in the game. Additionally, it was the first time since December 18 and 21, 2017 against Charlotte and College of Charleston that Wake Forest has produced 20 or more opponent turnovers in back-to-back games. It marked the first time since March 16, 2017 (Washington State) that a Power-5 team had forced BYU into 26 or more turnovers.
FROM THE LINE
Graduate guard Kaia Harrison went 2-of-2 from the free throw line Thursday against Miami. Overall this season, Harrison is 63-of-76 (82.9 pct.), ranking sixth in the ACC and 86th nationally in free throw percentage.
Williams is averaging a career-best 83.9 percent from the stripe (47-of-56) this season. She is now ranked ninth in program history in free throw percentage:
| Rank | Player | FT Percentage |
| 1. | Nicole Levesque (1991-94) | .830 |
| 2. | Jewel Spear (2020-23) | .827 |
| 3. | Alice Neal (1986-89) | .805 |
| 4. | Heidi Coleman (1995-99) | .800 |
| 5. | Beth Davis (1989-91) | .792 |
| 6. | Porsche' Jones (2004-06) | .778 |
| 7. | Ivana Raca (2017-21) | .765 |
| 9. | Elise Williams (2021-Present) | .762 |
| 10. | Amber Campbell (2014-18) | .755 |
Through 21 games this season, Wake Forest has seen a massive uptick in free throw shooting percentage, going from 66.0 percent (343-of-520) last season to 72.9 percent (210-of-288) this season.
On Thursday, the team went 6-of-7 from the charity stripe (85.7 percent). This is the seventh time in the last eight games the Demon Deacons have shot 70 percent or better and fourth time overall above 80 percent.
ELISE'S HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
Junior guard Elise Williams recorded her third-career double-double as she notched 14 points and 10 rebounds in addition to seven assists. It marked the first double-double by a Demon Deacon since Demeara Hinds against Morgan State last season on March 16, 2023.
Additionally, it was just the third 14-10-7 or better game in the Her Hoops Stats era (2009-10) by a Wake Forest player and first since Dearica Hamby against Pitt on March 5, 2014.
| Player | Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Elise Williams | Jan. 18, 2024 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Dearica Hamby | March 5, 2014 | 25 | 16 | 8 |
| Brittany Waters | Feb. 27, 2011 | 20 | 11 | 7 |
She followed that up with another impressive statline against Notre Dame with nine points, five assists and five rebounds.
Since the start of ACC play, Williams leads the team with 10.3 points per game while also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
LAST TIME
Wake Forest vs. Miami (Feb. 1)
Result: L, 54-72
- The Demon Deacons shot 8-of-20 (40 percent) from beyond the arc, tied for the second-most made triples by the Deacs this season as well as the second-highest percentage from deep. Five separate Deacs knocked down at least one three-pointer, with redshirt freshman Kate Deeble (3-of-5) and freshman Madisyn Jordan (2-for-2) leading the way.
- Additionally, the team went 6-of-7 from the charity stripe (85.7 percent). This is the seventh time in the last eight games the Demon Deacons have shot 70 percent or better and fourth time overall above 80 percent.
- The Hurricanes were forced into 12 turnovers Thursday night, as the Deacs extended an impressive run that has seen them force opponents into double-digit turnovers in 31 of their last 32 games, dating back to January of 2022.
- Individually, the Deacs were led by Deeble, who recorded 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in addition to a career-high six assists and a pair of rebounds. It marked the third double-digit scoring performance of her career and second in ACC play. Additionally, her three three-point makes tied a career best.
Versus Georgia Tech
Series: Georgia Tech leads 50-28
Last Time: Feb. 16, 2023
Result: L, 55-63
- Despite trailing by 12 points with 5:06 remaining in the game, the Demon Deacons nearly worked themselves all the way back as a runner from sophomore guard Elise Williams with 49 seconds left in the game brought Wake Forest within four.
- Offensively, the Deacs had three players finish in double figures with Williams leading the way, netting 13 points despite playing much of the game in foul trouble. Joining her in double digits were junior forward Demeara Hinds and junior guard Jewel Spear.
- Hinds, the Douglasville, Ga. native, posted her third double-figure scoring game of the season, tallying 12 points in the defeat. Spear pitched in 11 points of her own, her seventh-straight game in double digits.
- On the defensive end of the floor, Wake Forest had another strong performance defending the three, holding Georgia Tech to just 4-of-16 (25 percent) from long range.
Sunday four-packs are available for six games for the upcoming 2023-24 season including four ACC home matchups at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A four-pack includes four tickets and four popcorn vouchers for just $28. The games with four-packs available:
- Sunday, Feb. 4 vs. Georgia Tech
- Sunday, Feb. 11 vs. Virginia
- Sunday, Feb. 18 vs. North Carolina
UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons are scheduled for their first Big-4 matchup of the season Thursday afternoon when the Deacs hit the road against Duke.
The 7:00 p.m. tipoff against the Blue Devils will also air on ACC Network Extra.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
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Matt Barrie SportsCenter at Wake Forest with Demond Claiborne
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Football Media Availability (9/9/25)
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