Deacs Drop Home Contest to Syracuse

Sunday, January 4

Winston-Salem, N.C.

2 p.m.

Wake Forest University

12-4,2-2ACC

Syracuse

13-2,3-1ACC

Syracuse

Wake Forest

1/4/2026 4:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Wake Forest women’s basketball team was led by sophomore forward Grace Oliver who notched 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

By: Andrew Kovar

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Despite remaining even with Syracuse for three quarters in the game, the Wake Forest women's basketball team dropped a 73-58, Sunday afternoon at LJVM Coliseum.

For the third-straight game, the Demon Deacons (12-4, 2-2 ACC) were led offensively by sophomore forward Grace Oliver who finished the night with a team-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor. In the past three games, the Norwell, Mass.-native has played some of her best basketball of the season, shooting an eye-popping 82.8 percent from the field and averaging 21.0 points per game.

In addition to Oliver, freshman guard Caitlyn Jones posted her fifth double-digit scoring game of the season and first since Georgetown on Dec. 7. Shooting 5-of-7 from the field, Jones totaled 10 points while also having three rebounds and three assists on the afternoon.

Freshman guard Milan Brown recorded another game of double-digit rebounds, as she led the Deacs with 10. So far this season, Brown leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.

The Orange (13-2, 3-1 ACC) outscored the Deacs by 15 points in the third quarter, proving the be the difference in the final score.

The Demon Deacons had another excellent game in the paint, with 42 points posted inside, while allowing Syracuse to score 36 points inside, a six-point differential. Across 16 games, the Deacs have totaled 528 points in the paint (35.6 per game).

Additionally, Syracuse came into the game ranked 11th in the country with 45.3 rebounds per game and 12th in the country with a +12.6 rebounding margin. Wake Forest beat them on the glass, outrebounding the Orange 35-to-33 on Sunday.

How It Happened

The Demon Deacons found an early lead, despite the Orange's attempts to maintain possession.
- Freshman guard Milan Brown matched Syracuse's opening basket with a layup to make it 2-2.
- Off an Orange turnover, sophomore guard Aurora Sørbye hit a turnaround jumper to extend the Deacs' lead to 6-2 with 7:15 to go.
Sophomore forward Grace Oliver worked a layup at the 5:40 mark to hold the Wake Forest lead at 8-6.
Back-to-back buckets from freshman guard Caitlyn Jones kept the game within one.
The Demon Deacons trailed Syracuse by just one to begin the second quarter.
An opening basket from junior guard/forward Mary Carter brought the Deacs back in front just twenty seconds in.
Wake Forest retook the lead with three minutes left in the half.
- Jones put up two in the paint to tie the game up at 25-25.
- Carter and Sørbye made it 31-27 with back-to-back threes.
The Deacs trailed, 31-32 at the half.
Sophomore forward Opal Bird took a perfect trip to the line to cut the Orange's lead.
Oliver closed the third with two in the paint as Wake Forest trailed, 39-55.
The Demon Deacons opened the final quarter with an and-one from graduate student forward Emily Johns.
Jones found Brown under the basket for two in the paint with 2:21 remaining.
Sophomore forward Kennedy Moore closed out scoring in the contest, as Wake Forest fell, 73-58.

Standout Stats

Sophomore forward Grace Oliver drove the Wake Forest offense with 16 points, going 6-of-11 from the field.
- In the past three games, the Norwell, Mass.-native shot 82.8 percent from the field and averaged 21.0 points per game.
- Across 16 games, Oliver is second in the ACC and sixth in the nation with a .641 field goal percentage.
Shooting 5-of-7 from the field, freshman guard Caitlyn Jones helped the Demon Deacon offense with another double-digit game, totaling 10 points, three rebounds and three assists on the afternoon.
Wake Forest tallied 19 total assists on the night on 24 made baskets (79.2 percent). In 16 games this season, the Demon Deacons have totaled 295 assists on 410 field goals (72.0 percent) which would mark the highest percentage in the Megan Gebbia era.
- The Demon Deacons are averaging 18.4 assists per game, second in the ACC behind Virginia's 19.08.
The Demon Deacons had another excellent game in the paint, with 42 points posted inside, while allowing Syracuse to score 36 points inside, a six-point differential.
- Across 16 games, the Deacs have totaled 528 points in the paint (35.6 per game).

From Gebbia
"I loved our effort on the glass and we outrebounded a good rebounding team. The difference in the game was the last 6:44 of the third quarter when we didn't score. We have to find a way to score in those stretches cause it was an even game outside of that segment of the game. Emily Johns was a positive off the bench to spark a little run there in the fourth quarter. In the ACC, we can't have a stretch like that to win games. This is a good learning lesson against a good ACC team. We have a trip to the west coast coming up and are excited to get back to practice and fix some of the things we did poorly today." - Megan Gebbia

Up Next
The Deacs begin a two-game stretch out west, beginning with the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Tipoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.