A 15-0 run by Wake Forest
late in the first half proved to be the difference on Wednesday evening as the
Demon Deacons captured the consolation game of the San Diego Surf ‘n Slam with
a 52-34 victory over Valparaiso in San Diego, Calif.
Wake Forest started hot from
the floor over the first three-and-a-half minutes, making five of its first six
shots, including 3-of-3 from long range to take a 13-4 lead.
Valpo’s defense stiffened,
not allowing the Demon Deacons to score over a span of 7:26 to pull within
three. Ashley Varner (South Bend,
Ind./Washington H.S.) tied the
game at 16 with a triple at the 7:30 mark.
The Crusaders would go cold
from the floor though, not scoring a basket from the field until 23 seconds
remaining. Meanwhile, Wake Forest
scored 15 straight points over a four minute stretch to build a 31-16 advantage
and took a 33-20 lead into the locker room.
Valpo shot 31.6% (6-of-19) in
the first half, including just 2-of-11 (18.2%) from long range while WakeForest
was 43.3% (13-of-30) and made 7-of-15 (46.7%) three-point attempts. The Demon Deacons outrebounded Valpo 22-10,
including 10-4 on the offensive end in the first 20 minutes.
A 10-0 run by the Demon
Deacons extended the lead to 45-23 with 11:23 to play in the game, as the Crusaders tallied just two points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The defense went to work from
then on out though, allowing just one field goal the rest of the way. Valpo made a mini 7-0 run to close with 15 at
45-30, but would not get any closer the rest of the way.
Valpo shot just 17.4% in the
second half and 23.8% for the game. Betsy Adams (Monticello, Ind./Twin
Lakes H.S.) led the Crusaders with eight points while Varner had seven.
"They pressured us hard man-to-man and we struggled to get good shots," head coach Keith Freeman said.
The Demon Deacons were held
to 18.5% shooting in the second half, but outrebounded the Crusaders 46-30 for
the game. Brittany Waters led Wake
Forest (9-4) with 19
points while Sandra Garcia had 10 points and 10 boards.
"We need to try and take steps forward now," Freeman added. "Saturday starts a new season for us."
Valparaiso (3-8) has closed out its five-game road trip and will
return to the Athletics-Recreation
Center on Saturday
afternoon as the Crusaders host UIC in the Horizon League opener. Tip-off is set for 1:35 p.m.
Game Notes: This
was the second meeting between Valpo and Wake Forest with the Crusaders winning
the initial contest in December of 2001 … all 13 Crusaders saw action in the
game … Valpo was just 3-of-21 from three-point range.
