Deacs Fall in Defensive Contest at Stanford

STANFORD, Calif. – In a defensive battle at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., the Wake Forest women's basketball team fell 55-43, Thursday night.

The Demon Deacons (12-5, 2-3 ACC) limited the Cardinal (13-4, 3-1 ACC) to their third-fewest points of the season with Stanford only scoring less against Washington State and nationally-ranked NC State so far this season.

Additionally, the Deacs held multi-time ACC Freshman of the Week forward Lara Somfai to a season-low two points on just 1-of-5 shooting.

Outside of the 9-point differential in the first quarter of the game, the Demon Deacons were within three points of the Cardinal the rest of the game.

On the offensive end of the floor, Wake Forest was led by a pair of double-figure scoring games from freshman guard Caitlyn Jones and junior guard-forward Mary Carter, both tying for the team lead with 11 points each.

Jones, who made her first collegiate start, finished the night going 4-of-9 from the floor and also knocked down both of her free throw attempts. She also tied for the team lead with three assists to go along with three rebounds and a steal.

Carter had all 11 of her points in the second half including going 3-of-6 from behind the arc in the final 20 minutes of the game. The Rocklin, Calif. native also had a team-high tying seven rebounds in the defeat.

The Deacs hit eight total threes in the game as they continue to shoot the three well over the last few games. In the last four games, Wake Forest has averaged 7.75 threes made per game including double digits in wins over Gardner-Webb and Pitt.

How It Happened

The teams remained in a tight contest, swapping points back and forth.
- In her first start for the Demon Deacons, freshman guard Caitlyn Jones put up the first two for the Deacs.
- Fellow freshman guard Milan Brown kept the game tied with 5:32 remaining.
Sophomore guard Aurora Sørbye launched a three to keep Wake Forest within a basket as the Cardinal led, 10-7.
The Demon Deacons trailed Stanford, 16-7 at the close of the first quarter.
Junior guard Madisyn Jordan opened the second with three from the top of the arc.
- Following Jordan's basket, the Deacs held the Cardinal to just two points over the next four minutes.
Jones kept it close with three to make it 18-13 with 5:21 remaining.
Stanford led 24-13 at the half.
The Cardinal extended its lead to 37-23 in the third quarter, with the Demon Deacons finding its office in the latter minutes of the half, sparked by a three from Carter.
- Jones posted two in the paint with 5:31 to go.
- With an assist from Brown, Carter drained another from beyond the arc.
Wake Forest held Stanford to zero points in the final 2:45 of the third quarter.
Both squads remained secure on defense, as neither team could find much offensive momentum.
Freshman forward Opal Bird connected with Brown for three to cut the Cardinal lead to ten.
Jones went 2-for-2 at the stripe to make it 38-50 with 1:36 to go.
- Carter followed with three to reach double digit scoring.
A late jumper from Brown was not enough as Wake Forest fell, 55-43 to Stanford.

Standout Stats

The Deacs held the Cardinal to just 55 points, marking the second-lowest yet in ACC play and 1.6 below Wake Forest's average points against.
- The only teams to hold the Cardinal to fewer points this season were Washington State (54 on Nov. 14. 2025) on and NC State (46 on Jan. 1, 2026).
The Deacs hit eight total threes in the game as they continue to shoot the three well over the last few games.
- In the last four games, Wake Forest has averaged 7.75 threes made per game including double digits in wins over Gardner-Webb and Pitt.
Freshman guard Caitlyn Jones matched Carter's 11 points, shooting 4-for-9 and 2-for-2 at the line.
- Thursday marked Jones first collegiate start.
- In three games of ACC play, Jones is averaging 9.7 points per game and shooting over .500 from the field.

From Gebbia
"Our effort was on point, especially on the defensive end. That was the positive tonight. That effort disrupted what they wanted to do. We needed to do a better job on the offensive end. We didn't do a good enough job around the basket and scoring at the rim, making just one layup in the game. Their physicality was a factor. This was the first time that we played in front of a good crowd on the road. We started to figure everything out better in the second half but we needed to start better in the first half. Our effort was good and we limited everyone outside of one of their players. Now recover quickly and move on before playing at a good Cal team on Sunday." - Megan Gebbia

Up Next
The Demon Deacons close out the west coast swing on Sunday when Wake Forest plays at Cal for the first time in program history at Haas Pavilion.
Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

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Team Stats

Caitlyn Jones

Mary Carter

Madisyn Jordan

Milan Brown

Players Mentioned

Opal Bird

Milan Brown

Mary Carter

Caitlyn Jones

Madisyn Jordan

Wake Forest Athletics