Feb. 24, 2002
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - In its biggest margin of victory over an ACC opponent in 13 years, the Wake Forest women's basketball team defeated Maryland, 65-47, in the regular season finale at the Joel Coliseum Annex on Sunday afternoon.
The win improves Wake Forest's record to 12-15, 5-11 in the ACC and assures them of a seventh-place finish in the league standings. Maryland drops to 12-16 overall, 4-12 in the league and will finish eighth in the conference. Wake's five conference wins are the most in six seasons.
After Maryland opened the scoring with two free throws, the Deacons went on a 20-0 scoring run. After missing its first eight shots, Maryland did not score its first field goal until the 9:15 mark of the first half. Wake Forest built a 22-4 lead at the 7:59 mark, but then suffered a seven-minute scoring drought, allowing Maryland to go on an 11-0 run of its own.
Sophomore guard Tonia Brown (Roanoke, Va.) ended the Deacon scoring drought with a three-pointer with 56 seconds left in the half, giving the Deacs a 25-15 lead at the break. Maryland's 15 points were the fewest scored by the Terps in a half this season, as well as the fewest given up by Wake Forest in a single half this year.
The Deacons held off the Terrapins for most of the second half, but Maryland pulled to within eight points at the 5:53 mark, thanks to Renneika Razor, who missed a shot, then got her own rebound and the putback to make the score 48-40.
Tonia Brown, who has scored at least once beyond the arc in every ACC game this season, then hit consecutive three-pointers to lift the lead back to 13 points, 54-40. Wake then held on for the 18-point victory, converting on 6-of-8 free throws in the closing seconds for the 65-47 final score.
Brown finished with a team-high 17 points, including three three-pointers, and also dished a team-best seven assists. She now has 61 three-pointers on the season, tying the school's single-season mark set by Heidi Coleman in 1997.
Wake senior LaChina Robinson, playing her last collegiate game in Winston-Salem, tied a season high with 15
points on 6-of-8 shooting and fell just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds. A third Demon Deacon posted double-figures scoring as senior Adell Harris (High Point, N.C.) contributed 10 points.
Maryland senior forward DeeDee Warley led the Terrapin effort, playing all 40 minutes and notching a double-double, including game highs in scoring (20 points) and rebounding (10 points). Center Jamecca Harrell added 11 points and nine boards as only five Terps put points on the board.
Wake Forest outrebounded Maryland, 44-28, its best rebounding performance against an ACC team this season. Wake's 18-point win was also its biggest margin of victory against a league opponent since defeating Georgia Tech, 70-52, in the 1989-90 campaign.
