It’s not getting any easier for Wake Forest women’s basketball (4-16, 0-7). 

Now 0-7 in ACC conference play aftering losing to No. 15 Notre Dame (14-3, 5-2) at home on Sunday, the Demon Deacons continue to lose by double-digits as they struggle on offense, ranking last in the conference in scoring. 

Freshman guard Rylie Theuerkauf (4 PTS, 2 STL) started for the first time in her college career, scoring early in the first quarter. Leading the team in scoring was once again sophomore forward Malaya Cowles (13 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST), who went 6 of 7 from the field. Cowles has scored more than 12 points in her last three games and is now shooting 67.5% at home this season. 

Wake Forest consistently kept the score within ten points throughout most of the first quarter, despite Notre Dame burying 5-of-9 3-pointers in the first ten minutes alone. But while the Fighting Irish’s attempts from beyond the arc subsided, Wake Forest was unable to connect at the same rate as Notre Dame’s impressive 55.6% 3-point shooting percentage. 

Between a mix of offensive efficiency and volume, Notre Dame simply outpaced the Demon Deacons through every quarter. 

“We gave up too many points in the first half,” Head Coach Megan Gebbia said after the game. “We dared them to shoot the three, and they made them. They hit double the amount they normally do.” 

Despite the struggling offensive numbers, Wake Forest continues to show promise on defense. The Demon Deacons recorded nine steals, above their team average of eight per game, while forcing 16 turnovers — five of which came in just three minutes. Gebbia commended her squad’s defensive effort despite the loss. 

“We did a good job of forcing them to turn the ball over, especially in the third quarter,” Gebbia said. “We need to capitalize more on our forced turnovers, and that would have gotten us right there going into the third quarter.” 

Even so, the Demon Deacons continue to score less than 60 points per game, the only ACC team to do so. With conference play almost halfway over and three top-25 teams remaining on the team’s schedule, circumstances can potentially doom Gebbia’s squad to the worst record in the conference. 

The Demon Deacons will travel for the chance to stop their losing streak against the Clemson Tigers (8-11, 1-6) this Sunday at 6 p.m.