Deacs Fall to Wolfpack Despite Fiery Start
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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12–7, 2–5 ACC) had their best offensive outing in conference play against the NC State Wolfpack (13–5, 6–1 ACC). While it was not a winning effort, there are a plethora of good things to take away from the Deacs' home showdown with their Raleigh rivals.
More Program History
The Demon Deacons scored 33 points in the first quarter, tying their program record for points in a quarter. Their previous season high was a 27-point tie against Morgan State and NC Central.
To lead the scoring barrage, five players were in double figures. Mary Carter totaled team highs in both points (15) and rebounds (7). Sophomore Grace Oliver continued her efficient dominance, tallying 14 points and 5 rebounds on 60% shooting from the field. Oliver leads the ACC in field goal percentage (60.9%) and is nationally ranked 10th.
Freshman Grace Galbavy scored a career-high 11 points and went 3-of-3 from three-point land. Caitlyn Jones found double digits for the fourth consecutive game (12). To round out the top scorers, true sophomore Aurora Sørbye notched 11 of her own.
The Demon Deacons knocked down a season-high 12 threes against NC State, and, over the last six games, have hit double digits 3 times (Gardner-Webb, Pittsburgh, and NC State).
“I loved our effort out there today. I’m not satisfied with losing but there are a lot of positives out of this game," said head coach Megan Gebbia. "I am proud of how we came out, especially coming off a long road trip to the west coast."
What's Next
The Demon Deacons held a 49–43 halftime lead over NC State, but the Wolfpack's potency was on full display in the second half—although it wasn't without a valiant Wake Forest effort.
Of Wake Forest's seven losses, four of them were decided by less than 10 points. Their loss against Cal was by nine points, but their losses against Miami, Georgetown, and William & Mary were all decided by one possession. There are no "almosts" in basketball, but it's fair to say close losses are preferred to blowouts, albeit more painful.
After just one game at the Joel, and following their trip out west, the Deacs head to Clemson, SC, for a 12:00 p.m. tipoff against the Tigers (12–6, 3–3 ACC). After that, they are back at the Joel for a pair of games to close out January: Virginia Tech on Jan. 25 and Virginia on Jan. 29.
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Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.
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