Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Bryce Mitchell / Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacons SEC/ACC Challenge Matchup at Arkansas Set for 9 p.m. Start
9/21/2026 9:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wake Forest women’s basketball will make its second appearance in the fourth annual SEC/ACC Challenge.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Taking part in the SEC/ACC Challenge this upcoming winter, Wake Forest women's basketball's road game at Arkansas on Thursday, Dec. 3 will tip at 9 p.m. ET inside Bud Walton Arena. The contest will be televised on SEC Network.
This will be the second-ever matchup between the Demon Deacons and Razorbacks, as the two sides last met on Nov. 27, 2020 at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Deacs last participated in the SEC/ACC Challenge during the 2023-24 season, hosting Texas A&M on Nov. 30, 2023. The event enters its fourth edition this winter.
Women's Basketball Overview
The Demon Deacons enter year five of the Megan Gebbia era this winter, coming off a 2025-26 season that saw the program tally 14 wins and open with nine straight, good for its best start since the 2008-09 campaign when the team had 12 consecutive wins. Additionally, Wake Forest was the last undefeated team in the ACC and one of just 28 teams in the country to win its first nine games of the season. The Deacs went on to make an appearance in the 2026 WNIT - its second year of participation in the event within the last four seasons.
Six returners are back on the Wake Forest roster – Mary Carter, Aurora Sørbye, Opal Bird, Madisyn Jordan, Grace Galbavy and Savannah Metcalfe.
Carter and Sørbye were team leaders in three-pointers made and assists, respectively, a year ago. Carter also tallied the highest free-throw percentage (.864) on the team during 2025-26. Bird tied with Carter for the team-high mark in blocks (21) last season while Jordan appeared in all 31 games. As Galbavy competed in 20 games as a freshman, her classmate Metcalfe made 14 appearances before suffering a season-ending injury.
Wake Forest has added six newcomers on scholarship – Oshauna Holland, Adora Nwude, Helena Danielewicz, Breauna Ware, Ramiyah Byrd and Mckenzie Swanson.
Holland, a native of nearby Belmont, enters her freshman season following a tremendous prep career that saw her finish as the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high school girls basketball history. Nwude scored over 1,000 points through her high school days while Danielewicz, a fellow freshman, is coming off a summer competing for Poland at the FIBA U-18 Women's EuroBasket. Ware brings a wealth of experience with 84 career games played, competing for Wisconsin, Stony Brook and St. Bonaventure. Byrd comes in from Cincinnati, playing three years with the Bearcats as a standout rebounder. Swanson was a member of Butler Bulldogs' program for the last two seasons and is a former high school McDonald's All-American Game nominee as a four-star recruit.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. During the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule included four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
This will be the second-ever matchup between the Demon Deacons and Razorbacks, as the two sides last met on Nov. 27, 2020 at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Deacs last participated in the SEC/ACC Challenge during the 2023-24 season, hosting Texas A&M on Nov. 30, 2023. The event enters its fourth edition this winter.
Women's Basketball Overview
The Demon Deacons enter year five of the Megan Gebbia era this winter, coming off a 2025-26 season that saw the program tally 14 wins and open with nine straight, good for its best start since the 2008-09 campaign when the team had 12 consecutive wins. Additionally, Wake Forest was the last undefeated team in the ACC and one of just 28 teams in the country to win its first nine games of the season. The Deacs went on to make an appearance in the 2026 WNIT - its second year of participation in the event within the last four seasons.
Six returners are back on the Wake Forest roster – Mary Carter, Aurora Sørbye, Opal Bird, Madisyn Jordan, Grace Galbavy and Savannah Metcalfe.
Carter and Sørbye were team leaders in three-pointers made and assists, respectively, a year ago. Carter also tallied the highest free-throw percentage (.864) on the team during 2025-26. Bird tied with Carter for the team-high mark in blocks (21) last season while Jordan appeared in all 31 games. As Galbavy competed in 20 games as a freshman, her classmate Metcalfe made 14 appearances before suffering a season-ending injury.
Wake Forest has added six newcomers on scholarship – Oshauna Holland, Adora Nwude, Helena Danielewicz, Breauna Ware, Ramiyah Byrd and Mckenzie Swanson.
Holland, a native of nearby Belmont, enters her freshman season following a tremendous prep career that saw her finish as the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high school girls basketball history. Nwude scored over 1,000 points through her high school days while Danielewicz, a fellow freshman, is coming off a summer competing for Poland at the FIBA U-18 Women's EuroBasket. Ware brings a wealth of experience with 84 career games played, competing for Wisconsin, Stony Brook and St. Bonaventure. Byrd comes in from Cincinnati, playing three years with the Bearcats as a standout rebounder. Swanson was a member of Butler Bulldogs' program for the last two seasons and is a former high school McDonald's All-American Game nominee as a four-star recruit.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. During the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule included four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
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