Women's Basketball

Deacons Put UNC Away Late For 83-73 Win

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Wednesday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Tournament opener appeared set to go down to the wire, but 13th-seeded Wake Forest re-wrote the script in the final 10 minutes.

After holding 12th-seeded North Carolina at arm’s length most of the afternoon, the Demon Deacons pulled away in the fourth quarter for an 83-73 first-round win at the Greensboro Coliseum.

While both teams shot close to 45 percent from the floor and were dead-even from 3-point range (both 8-for-17), Wake Forest’s inside advantage proved insurmountable. The Deacons outscored the Tar Heels by an eye-popping 32-4 margin in second-chance points and held an overall 47-22 rebounding edge.

Second-team All-ACC selection Ivana Raca keyed Wake’s assault, matching her career high with 27 points and setting a career high with 13 rebounds. Alex Sharp added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Christina Morra had 19 points and nine boards.

A pair of seniors led UNC. Shayla Bennett scored 26 points to go with a game-high seven assists, and center Taylor Koenen added 19 points before fouling out with 5:37 remaining.

Wake Forest (15-15) moves on to face No. 5 seed Virginia Tech (21-8) in Thursday’s 11 a.m. second-round game. North Carolina slipped to 16-14 with Wednesday’s loss.

The Deacons defeated the Tar Heels for the second time in 10 days following an 82-79 overtime win at Winston-Salem on Feb. 23.
Wake Forest led 61-56 at the end of the third quarter on Wednesday, and 3-pointers by Sharp and Gina Conti the first two minutes of the final period keyed a 10-2 blitz that pushed the lead to double digits and put the Deacons in command for keeps. Wake Forest led by as many as 18 points (79-61) before UNC trimmed the margin in the final five minutes.

After spotting the Tar Heels an early 11-6 lead, Wake Forest battled back to lead 20-17 by the end of the opening quarter. Raca scored 12 points in the first 10 minutes on a 5-for-8 shooting effort from the floor that included a pair of 3-pointers.

The Deacons scored the first four points of the second quarter to build a seven-point lead, but the Tar Heels refused to go away. UNC scrapped back to within 37-35 by the halftime break, with Bennett’s runner off the glass in the closing seconds closing the gap to two points.

Raca’s 16 first-half points led the Demon Deacons, while Koenen scored 14 on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor to pace the Tar Heels.

Thursday morning’s second-round game will mark the second time Virginia Tech and Wake Forest have met this season. The Hokies posted a 73-62 win in the regular-season game at Wake on Feb. 16.

OF NOTE: 
  • In a game that saw nine lead changes but only three ties, both teams shot at least 44 percent from the field and each went 8-for-17 (47 percent) from beyond the arc.
  • Wake Forest outrebounded North Carolina, 47-22, and is now 13-5 this season when they grab more rebounds.
  • Wake Forest’s Ivana Raca recorded her fifth double-double of the season and ninth of her career, scoring 27 points and recording 13 rebounds, both game-highs. Raca led the Demon Deacons in points and rebounds for the second straight game, and the fifth time this season.
  • Raca had 16 points total in the first half, and Morra added 11, but Taylor Koenen scored 14 for the Tar Heels to cut Wake Forest’s lead to 37-35 heading into halftime.
  • Wednesday’s outcome gives Wake Forest a season sweep of two games versus North Carolina, with the Deacons taking the regular season meeting on Feb. 23, 82-79, in overtime.
  • Wake Forest now improves to 19-40 in the ACC Tournament and 15-10 in first-round games.
  • North Carolina is now 62-33 in ACC Tournament games, 4-3 in first-round games.
  • UNC is 7-2 vs. Wake Forest in ACC Tournament games and leads the all-time series, 65-16.