Thursday, February 27
Raleigh, NC
7 p.m.

Wake Forest University

at

NC State

Demeara Hinds

Deacs Set for Final Road Game of the Season

2/25/2025 9:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

In the final road game of the regular season Thursday night at James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum, Wake Forest is set to travel to No. 9 NC State for the 95th meeting between the two schools. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

RALEIGH, N.C. – In the final road game of the regular season Thursday night at James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum, the Wake Forest women's basketball team is set to travel to No. 9 NC State for the 95th meeting between the two schools.
 
The Demon Deacons (9-18, 2-14 ACC) are looking for their third win of the conference campaign, first road win in conference play and the first ranked win since defeating No. 24 Missouri State on Nov. 29, 2020. In the loss at Miami on Sunday, Sophomore guard Rylie Theuerkauf led the charge for Wake Forest as she finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 from the floor in addition to a block and two steals on the other end. It marked her 10th-consecutive game scoring in double figures and 18th time doing so this season.
 
Wake Forest's success this season has come on the backs of strong defensive play as the Deacs currently rank in the top 200 in the country and seventh in the ACC in scoring defense as teams are averaging just 65.0 points per game this season. The Demon Deacons also rank top 90 in the nation with 9.0 steals per game. 
 
The Wolfpack (22-5, 14-2 ACC) are riding high after handing No. 1 Notre Dame their first loss of conference play on Sunday afternoon. With two ranked wins in the week, NC State has now climbed to No. 9 in the polls which ties their highest ranking of the season to this point. The Wolfpack currently sit alone in second place in the conference with two games to play and just one game outside of first place. The Pack have had one of the better offenses in the country so far this season ranking third in the ACC and 26th nationally with 78.2 points per game. Additionally, NC State is one of the more mistake free teams ranking second in the country with just 11.9 fouls committed per game and 14th nationally with just 12.1 turnovers committed per game.
 
Tipoff for Thursday is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) at Reynolds Coliseum. 
 
For those not at the arena, fans can tune in to ACC Network Extra for Thursday's game. A live stats feed can be found here for Thursday. 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).
 
RAEGYN LIGHTS IT UP
Raegyn Conley has been making the three at a historic rate lately. Over the last six games, she has made 14-of-31 (.452) shots from behind the arc.
 
This stretch has raised her season average up to 38.5 percent which currently ranks 10th in single-season program history:
 
Rank Player Season FG Pct.
1. Nicole Levesque (1990-91) .429
2. Karen Davis (1993-94) .415
T3. Gretchen Hollifield  (1993-94)  .414
T3. Gretchen Hollifield  (1994-95)  .414
5. Lakevia Boykin (2012-13)  .413
6. Liz Strunk (2003-04) .405
7. Alex Sharp (2019-20) .402
8. Jewel Spear (2020-21) .400
9. Heidi Coleman (1998-99)  .397
10. Heidi Coleman (1995-96) .389
11. Raegyn Conley (2024-25) .385
 
RYLIE RAISES HER GAME
For the 10-consecutive game, sophomore guard Rylie Theuerkauf reached double figures with a team-high 18 points against Miami on 7-of-14 shooting. It marked her 18th game of the season with double-digit points.
 
For three consecutive games between North Carolina and NC State, Theuerkauf set a new career-highs in scoring including finishing with 25 points against No. 17 NC State Wolfpack.
 
25 points is the most in a game by a Demon Deacon since Williams had 31 at Georgia Tech last season on Feb. 25, 2024. It marked her 12th game of the season with double-digit, fifth with at least 15 and second-consecutive with at least 20.
 
She tied her previous career high (21) with seven minutes remaining in the first half. She opened the game 8-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-3 from deep.
 
Last Sunday, Theuerkauf reached double figures with 20 points against the nationally-ranked Yellowjackets on Sunday on 9-of-16 shooting including a pair of threes.
 
She has 154 points over the last nine games (17.1/game) and now averages a team-high 11.9 on the season.
 
1K AND COUNTING
Williams reached 1,000 points in the regular season home finale against Clemson last season. She entered the 2024-25 season ranked 28th in program history in scoring with 1,065 in 99 career games. Williams has added to that total, scoring 255 points so far this season.
 
Williams will now look to move up the scoring list on Sunday afternoon as she is 14th and is 22 points away from Jane Jackson (1977-80) in 13th place:
 
Rank Player Career Points
7. Cotelia Bond-Young (2002-06) 1,507
8. Amber Campbell (2014-18) 1,489
9. Ivana Raca (2017-21) 1,482
10. Jewel Spear (2020-23) 1,385
11. Liz Strunk (2002-06) 1,352
12. Lisa Stockton (1982-86) 1,347
13. Jane Jackson (1977-80) 1,342
14. Elise Williams (2021-Pres.) 1,320
15. Lakevia Boykin (2009-13) 1,309
16. Elisa Penna (2015-19) 1,269
 
HOME COOKING WITH COWLES 
Malaya Cowles, who led the team in shooting percentage during the 2023-24 season shot a stellar 73-of-126 (57.9 percent) from the floor while inside LJVM Coliseum.
 
She is off to a similar start in this season, shooting 49.5 percent overall at LJVM Coliseum (47-of-95 FG) including shooting 77.8 percent from the field against Queens (7-of-9 FG), 87.5 percent from the field against Gardner-Webb (7-of-8) and 88.9 percent from the field against Campbell (8-of-9).
 
In addition to shooting a great percentage at home this season, Cowles shooting percentage is at a historic rate for the season as a whole, ranking just outside of the top 10 in program history as she is making 55.4 percent of her shots over the course of the season.
 
Additionally, Cowles career shooting percentage of 54.9 percent is on pace to have her rank third in program history by the end of her career.
 
ASSISTS ON MADE BASKETS
The Deacs have done an excellent job of moving the ball so far this season, as they have assisted on 373 of 627 made baskets this season (59.5 pct.). Additionally over the last 23 games, the Demon Deacons have assisted on 333 of 547 made baskets or 61 percent.
 
Wake Forest assisted on 21 of its 27 made baskets (78 percent) against Louisville. This marked the most assists for Wake Forest since they recorded 24 against Saint Louis on Nov. 20, 2023.
 
Additionally, the 21 assists marked the most this season by the Deacs and most against an ACC opponent since Jan. 19, 2017 in an 80-77 victory over North Carolina. It was the third time this season Wake Forest logged at least 20 assists, with the first two coming against Winthrop and Gardner-Webb (both 20).
 
Last season, the Deacs assisted 404 of 694 made field goals (58.2 percent). 
 
Senior guard Elise Williams entered the top 10 in career assists earlier this season and currently is in eighth in program history:
Rank Player Career Assists
1. Brooke Thomas (2008-12) 513
2. Gina Conti (2017-21) 494
3. Nicole Levesque (1991-94) 488
4. Cotelia Bond-Young (2003-06) 462
5. Gretchen Hollifield (1993-96) 453
6. Amy Privette (1984-87) 424
7. Cathy Wille (1987-90) 396
8. Elise Williams (2021-Pres.) 379
9. Chelsea Douglas (2010-14) 360
10. Liz Strunk (2003-06) 340
 
FORCING TURNOVERS
Forcing the Hurricanes into 18 turnovers on Sunday, led to 16 points off turnovers in the game. The Deacs have forced 10 or more takeaways 66 times in the last 69 games. The 69-game stretch goes back to January of 2022. Through 27 games this season, Wake Forest has totaled 242 steals including eight on Sunday.
 
The 28 turnovers forced against Cal was the most forced in a single-game this season for the Deacs. Additionally, it was the second-highest turnover game of the season for the nationally-ranked Bears. The only game where they had more turnovers came on Thursday at No. 14 Duke when Cal turned it over 31 times. This marked the sixth time this season that Wake Forest forced 20-or-more turnovers.
 
The Deacs forced 21 turnovers against Louisville. This marked the fifth time this season that Wake Forest forced 20-or-more turnovers and the second-consecutive game doing so. The 56-game stretch goes back to January of 2022. 21 turnovers ties the most in a game this season for Louisville, with the other instance coming against UT Martin on Nov. 12. Wake Forest added 26 points off turnovers against the Cardinals.
 
Against Virginia, Wake Forest forced 20 turnovers, marking the fourth time this season the Deacs have had 20 or more turnovers forced. In total, the Deacs forced 20 turnovers against George Mason, the third time this season that the Deacs have forced 20 or more turnovers. The five games with 20-plus turnovers forced is now more the total number of games last season when the Deacs finished with four such games.
 
In total, the Deacs forced 24 turnovers against the 49ers, the second time this season that the Deacs have forced 20 or more turnovers. This marks just the second time since 2018-19 that the Demon Deacons have forced 20 or more turnovers in back-to-back games.
 
The Deacs forced 26 turnovers against the Royals to open the season on Nov. 4, the most in a game since the victory over BYU on Nov. 18, 2023. It resulted in 39 points on the offensive end of the floor.
 
In total, the Deacs forced 20 turnovers four times over the course of the 2023-24 season which were also the four highest turnover forced games in the Megan Gebbia era:
1. vs. BYU - 25 turnovers forced (Nov. 18, 2023)
2. vs. North Carolina - 24 turnovers forced (Feb. 18, 2024)
T3. at Clemson - 20 turnovers forced (Jan. 28, 2024)
T3. vs. NC A&T - 20 turnovers forced (Nov. 15, 2023)
 
FROM THE LINE
The Demon Deacons have shot 75 percent or from the line in 13 of the first 27 games of the 2024-25 season, including a season-high against No. 17 NC State at 100.0 percent (11-of-11).
 
The Demon Deacons went 18-of-25 (72.0 percent) from the charity stripe Thursday night, marking the most free throws they had taken since playing Davidson in November and the 18 free throws made were the most by the Deacs in a game this season.
 
A key to the Demon Deacons success this season has been the massive improvement at the line from Demeara Hinds. She came into the season shooting just 37.3 percent from the stripe (38-of-102 FT) for her career and this season is nearly 30 percent better at the line, knocking down 63.7 percent (58-of-91 FT).
 
Elise Williams averaged a career-best 82.8 percent from the stripe (96-of-116) in 2023-24. Additionally, she is now ranks seventh in program history in career free throw percentage with the help of going 45-of-55 (82.1 pct.) from the line this season:
 
Rank Player Career FT Percentage
1. Nicole Levesque (1991-94) .830
2. Jewel Spear (2020-23) .827
3. Lisa Brookes (1981-84) .823
4. Alice Neal (1986-89) .805
5. Heidi Coleman (1995-99) .800
6. Beth Davis (1989-91) .792
7. Elise Williams (2021-Present) .780
8. Porsche' Jones (2004-06) .778
9. Ivana Raca (2017-21) .765
10. Amber Campbell (2014-18) .755
 
Last season, Wake Forest saw a massive uptick in free throw shooting percentage, going from 66.0 percent (343-of-520) in 2022-23 to 73.1 percent (324-of-447) in 2023-24.
 
Not only did the Deacs have a resurgent season at the line last season but one of the best in program history. This year has been no different with the Deacs having the seventh-best free throw percentage in program history :
 
Rank Single-Season FT Percentage Year
1. .753 (461-of-612) 2004-05
2. .741 (317-of-428) 2020-21
3. .725 (324-of-447) 2023-24
4. .724 (397-of-548) 2005-06
5. .719 (323-of-449) 1993-94
6. .707 (475-of-672) 1991-92
7. .702 (264-of-376) 2024-25
8. .694 (279-of-546) 2021-22
9. .693 (392-of-566) 1985-86
10. .691 (449-of-650) 1990-91
 
SHARPSHOOTERS
The Deacs have gotten off to a quick start from behind the arc in the 2024-25 season, knocking down 149 threes in the first 27 games (5.5 3FGM per game). Additionally, the Deacs came into the game, knocking down 30.5 percent of their threes.
 
Overall, the 2023-24 Wake Forest team knocked down 204 threes last season ranked fourth in program history:
 
Rank Single-Season Threes Made Year
1. 275 2004-05
2. 227 2022-23
3. 215 2005-06
4. 204 2023-24
5. 195 2021-22
Against Stanford, senior guard Elise Williams entered the top 10 in program history in threes made and goes into Sunday seventh in program history:
Rank Player Career Threes
1. Cotelia Bond Young (2003-06) 267
2. Chelsea Douglas (2010-14) 257
3. Jewel Spear (2020-23) 241
4. Nicole Levesque (1991-94) 193
5. Heidi Coleman (1995-99) 191
6. Lakevia Boykin (2009-13) 167
7. Elise Williams (2021-Pres.) 148
T8. Tonia Brown (2001-04) 142
T8. Ariel Stephenson (2015-19) 142
10. Liz Strunk (2003-06) 141
LAST TIME
Wake Forest vs. Miami (Feb. 23)
Result: L – 62-60
  • The Demon Deacons led for 35:26 minutes of game time (89 percent) and led by as many as nine in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes were only in front for 1:44 (4 percent).
  • Sophomore guard Rylie Theuerkauf led the charge for Wake Forest as she finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 from the floor in addition to a block and two steals on the other end. It marked her 10th-consecutive game scoring in double figures and 18th time doing so this season.
  • The senior duo of forward Demeara Hinds and guard Elise Williams also chipped in double-digit points with 12 and 10, respectively. Hinds finished an efficient 5-of-9 from the floor and led the team with seven rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
Versus NC State

Series: NC State leads 79-15
Last: January 30, 2025
Result: L, 90-83
  • The Demon Deacons outscored the Wolfpack in the fourth quarter, 34-to-20 and nearly clawed back after facing a 24-point deficit in the third, cutting it down to as close as five. 34 points in the fourth mark the most in a single quarter in Wake Forest program history. The Deacs finished the last 3:30 of the game going on a 20-7 run.
  • Wake Forest finished a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line, which marked the second time in program history that the Demon Deacons finished 100 percent from the stripe with a minimum of 10 attempts. The other instance was a 10-for-10 performance against Maryland on Feb. 10, 2005.
  • For the third-consecutive game, sophomore guard Rylie Theuerkauf set a new career-high in scoring as she finished with 25 points against the Wolfpack. Of note, she tied her previous career high (21) with seven minutes remaining in the first half as she opened the game 8-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-3 from deep.
  • Senior guard Raegyn Conley also set a new career-high with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-7 clip from beyond-the-arc and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Conley also logged four assists, two rebounds and led the team with a +13 plus/minus across 29 minutes.
 
UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons play their final home game of the season Sunday when they host Pitt on Senior & Graduates Day. Prior to the game the Demon Deacons will honor the five-player senior class on the floor.
 
Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
 
Women's Basketball Tickets
Single-Game Tickets Now On Sale
Wake Forest women's basketball single-game tickets are still on sale, starting at $10 per game.
 
The best way to get your single-game tickets is at GoDeacs.com/tickets or by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322.
 
4-Packs are also on sale and will only be available for Sunday games.
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