Discover the Vibrant Spirit of Wake Forest University

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Even after forcing the highest number of turnovers in the Megan Gebbia era with a season-best 28 takeaways, the Wake Forest women’s basketball squad succumbed to No. 18 Cal, 67-55, on Sunday afternoon inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The 28 turnovers represented the highest since at least the 2017-18 season, as Wake Forest (7-11, 0-7 ACC) converted those turnovers into 27 points while permitting the Golden Bears (17-3, 5-2 ACC) only five points off turnovers.

Wake Forest compelled double-digit turnovers for the 58th occasion in the last 59 games, with the only time being against Syracuse on Jan. 11, 2024. This 59-game streak dates back to January of 2022.

Through 18 games this season, Wake Forest has amassed 176 steals, including tying for the second-most this season with 13 on Sunday. The 13 thefts mark the 10th occurrence this year that Wake Forest has recorded 10 or more steals in a contest.

 

The Demon Deacons were spearheaded by senior guard Elise Williams, who concluded the game with 15 points, contributing three rebounds, assists, and steals. Senior Demeara Hinds and sophomore Rylie Theuerkauf accompanied Williams in double figures with 10 points each.

 

Williams and Theuerkauf reached double-figures for the 10th time this season, while Hinds’ 10-point performance marked her eighth of the year.

 

With Williams’ three steals in the match, she has now ascended into the top 10 in program history and stands as the sole player in the program’s history to rank in the top 10 in assists, steals, three-pointers made, and free throw percentage.

 

How It Transpired 

• A theft by redshirt senior Demeara Hinds led to a layup on the opposite end courtesy of Hinds, marking Wake Forest’s first points of the game.
• A splendid assist from freshman Auroya Sørbye to sophomore Madisyn Jordan extended the Deacs’ lead to 6-0.
• Wake Forest kept Cal without a field goal during the first 5:05, maintaining an 8-2 lead at the initial media timeout.
• Four consecutive points from guard Elise Williams widened the lead to 14-10 as the first quarter neared its end.
• The Golden Bears’ initial three-pointer of the quarter reduced the lead to 14-13 after the first ten minutes of play.
• Williams drained a shot from beyond the arc off an assist from senior Raegyn Conley to kick off the second quarter’s scoring and elevate the Wake advantage to 17-13.
• An 8-1 surge from Cal leading into the second quarter media break granted the visitors their largest lead of the afternoon at 26-20.
• Wake Forest found themselves trailing at halftime, 32-24.
• Sophomore Rylie Theuerkauf executed an excellent move to the basket to initiate the scoring in the second half.
• Cal responded with a 7-0 run, expanding their lead to 13 at the media timeout.
• Williams became the first Demon Deacon to score in double digits with a midrange jumper from the left side of the key, closing the deficit.
• A three-pointer from Jordan, off a great pass from Hinds, reduced Cal’s lead to single digits as Wake continued to mount a comeback.
• Cal held a 53-43 lead going into the last 10 minutes of play.
• Hinds joined Williams in double-digit scoring with a free throw at the 7:29 mark in the fourth quarter.
• Wake Forest finished the game with a 7-0 run but ultimately lost to Cal, 67-55.

Notable Statistics

• By forcing the Golden Bears into 28 turnovers, Wake Forest achieved double-digit turnovers for the 59th time in the last 60 games, with the only game occurring against Syracuse on Jan. 11, 2024.
  • This 59-game span originates from January of 2022.
  • In this season’s 18 games, Wake Forest has amassed a total of 176 steals, including 13 on Sunday, marking the 11th occasion this season where the team recorded 10 or more steals in a match.
    • These 13 steals represent the highest in conference play thus far this season, with four Demon Deacons achieving two or more steals on Sunday.

  • The 28 forced turnovers were the highest tallied in a single game this season for the Deacs. Furthermore, it was the second-most turnovers recorded by the nationally-ranked Bears this season, with their highest being 31 turnovers against No. 14 Duke on Thursday.

• The Demon Deacons held a significant edge in points off turnovers, with Wake Forest leading 27-5 in that category.
  • The Deacs committed just 12 turnovers on Sunday afternoon and ended with an even assist-to-turnover ratio.
    • This marks the second consecutive game that Wake Forest has achieved an even or improved assist-to-turnover ratio.

• Williams and Theuerkauf achieved double-figures for the 10th time this season, while Hinds’ 10-point display marked her eighth performance of the year.

 
From Gebbia 
“We must put this game behind us. We exhibited some really positive aspects, particularly in forcing turnovers and converting them into points, but we did not perform our best offensively. This is one of the top five teams in the league, and we competed hard throughout the game. We oftentimes made unwise choices regarding shot selection. We encountered some defensive errors that resulted in open three-pointers. This was a chance to seize the game on our home court, but we experienced too many lapses in scoring to remain close late in the game. We have experienced a trend of having one quarter where we faltered in the last few games, and today it was the second quarter. We need to address a few more details to curb those large scoring runs. We have done well to manage the ball in the past few games and we are seeing progression. We have a significant game coming up on Thursday with our first in-state Big-4 match. I am confident our team is eager to focus this week as we prepare for North Carolina.” – Megan Gebbia

Up Next

The Demon Deacons are set for their first Big-4 clash scheduled for Thursday evening when the Deacs head to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a contest against North Carolina.

 
The tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.