With the culmination of the 2025-2026 college basketball season rapidly approaching, the Wake Forest Women’s team looked to put a nice bookend on a rather lackluster year. While they were not given the invite to compete in the annual NCAA tournament, a chance to succeed in the NIT could prove to be a great opportunity.
Tournament play began on Thursday for the Demon Deacons, where they played Maryland Eastern Shore (20-14) on their home court. Despite them not having played against the highest competition, the Hawks have shown throughout the season that they have a more than capable roster.
The first half of this game was a rather ugly sight, with neither team being able to put up sufficient offensive numbers, particularly the Demon Deacons. While the first quarter wasn’t entirely problematic, with Wake Forest outsourcing the Hawks 14-12, the second quarter was disastrous.
Compared to Maryland Eastern, who attempted 22 shots from the field, the Demon Deacons were only able to come up with seven. Two converted field goals, along with four free throws, dug Wake Forest into a deep hole by the end of the half.
Heading into the third quarter, a 5-point deficit would ultimately end up being too much of a challenge for the Deacs to overcome. Despite the defense looking very strong, the inability to keep up with the Hawks offensively proved to be the dagger for this squad.
Even with strong performances from Mary Carter, 19 points and 6 rebounds, as well as Grace Galvaby, 5 blocks and 6 points, this team never seemed to click for the full 40 minutes.
“One of the biggest things from this game is we didn’t shoot the ball well other than at the free-throw line,” Head Coach Megan Gebbia said. “I am proud that this team fought to get back into the game, but we didn’t finish the way we needed to.”
While it is easy to criticize Wake Forest’s performance following Thursday’s loss, the growth that this program has shown is quite evident. Following a 2024-2025 season in which the Demon Deacons struggled mightily, a five-win improvement and an NIT appearance can surely be labeled as progress.
Season-long successes from Grace Oliver, Milan Brown and Carter have not only kept Wake Forest relatively competitive throughout the year, but could potentially be building blocks for an even stronger 2026-2027 squad.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted, but we took a step forward as a program this year,” Gebbia said. “Now we need to build on this momentum into the offseason and continue to push forward as a program into next season.”
