Sports > February 7, 2008
Despite tough play, Lady Deacs lose two
The Deacs could not topple No. 3 UNC; record falls to 0-9 in the ACC.
By Andrew LeRay | Staff writer
The struggles continue for the Lady Deacs basketball team, as they have yet to earn a victory against conference foes. Wake Forest dropped two more ACC matchups against UNC-Chapel Hill on Jan. 31 and Clemson on Feb. 3.
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Freshman guard Camille Collier makes a pass in a recent game. Collier is one of many Lady Deacs battling injury, as she recently suffered a stress fracture. (Andrew Imboden/Old Gold & Black)
With five more games remaining on the schedule, the Lady Deacs will try to string together a late season run heading into the conference tournament.
Wake Forest hosted the No. 3 UNC Tarheels on Jan. 31, only to fall by a score of 76-56.
To the credit of the Lady Deacs, they played tough against a hungry Tarheels team, who had labored in a recent loss to No. 1 Connecticut and a double-overtime victory over then No. 4 Maryland.
Wake Forest held the lead three different times in the first half against the Tarheels, but they fell behind for good after a steal and breakaway layup by freshman guard Cetera DeGraffenreid gave UNC a 25-24 lead.
The game was still within reach at halftime with the score 37-30 in favor of the Heels.
UNC opened the second half with a relentless attack and expanded the lead to 51-37 with 15 minutes left to play.
Senior forward LaToya Pringle led the Tarheels in scoring with 23 points, and DeGraffenreid added 15 points to aid in the Tarheel victory.
“We just need to start making shots,” said junior forward Corinne Groves. “Our shot selection is good but we need to start scoring more. We also need to step up our defensive intensity.”
Groves led the way for the Deacs, pouring in 16 points.
Junior guard Alex Tchangoue added 14 of her own points, but it was not enough to overcome 22 Wake Forest turnovers, a stat that has haunted the Lady Deacs in league play.
The Deacs traveled to Clemson on Feb. 3 in hopes of getting their season back on track.
Instead, they were turned away by the Tigers, losing on the road 66-46.
The injury bug found its way into the Deacon locker room, as Wake Forest had only nine healthy players for the contest.
Freshman forward Brittany Waters was still undergoing tests after her on-court collapse during the game against UNC.
Sophomore guard Tiffany Roulhac is out for the season after suffering a concussion during the game against Florida State on Jan. 17, and freshman guard Camille Collier sat with a stress fracture.
Their absences were immediately apparent, as Clemson jumped out to a 43-22 halftime lead, and they never looked back.
Freshman guard Kirstyn Wright led the way for Tigers, scoring 12 points in 23 minutes, while shooting 4-6 from three-point range.
Tchangoue and Groves were the high scorers for the Deacs again, scoring 17 and 14 points respectively.
“We need to finish .500 to make it into postseason play, which means winning three of our next five,” said Groves. “It’s difficult because everyone needs to play positions they’re not used to.”
The Lady Deacons return to action at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 as they try to snap their losing streak against Virginia Tech at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum.