The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-16, 1-12 ACC) were unable to corral the No. 13 Duke Blue Devils (20-5, 11-2 ACC), falling 72-47.
The Demon Deacons saw some defensive improvements, while Duke had their fifth-most turnovers of the season (19). Additionally, Wake Forest posted their sixth-consecutive game, shooting 40.0% or better from the field, and their tenth time converting over 80.0% from the foul line. Despite these marks, Head Coach Megan Gebbia’s squad turned the ball over 33 times, a season-worst.
“We turned the ball over way too much and didn’t do a good enough job of sharing or moving the basketball on that end,” Gebbia said in a postgame statement. “We need to do a better job of getting open off the ball. If we didn’t turn the ball over the way we did, this is a much different game.”
Despite their eight first-quarter turnovers, Wake Forest held Duke to 11 points, finishing the quarter up a point, at 12-11. However, things then began to unravel, as the Blue Devils outscored the Demon Deacons 61-35 in the following three frames of play.
“Our individual defense took a step forward tonight but we needed it more consistently throughout the entire 40 minutes,” Gebbia said. “We did a good job with scout defense.”
Elise Williams (8 PTS, 9 REB) posted a near-double-double performance, while the other redshirt senior, Demeara Hinds, put up nine points of her own. Additionally, Rylie Theuerkauf scored 11 points on the night. The sophomore has reached double figures in seven consecutive contests, and she leads the team in points per game with 11.1.
“A game like this shows us what we need to still work out as we push for postseason play,” said Coach Gebbia.
The Demon Deacons are on the backstretch of the season, with just four contests left in the season. They currently place dead last in the conference, looking to become a top-15 team to make the ACC Tournament.
