Lenoir-Rhyne wasn't expected to bring much of a challenge to the Wake Forest women's basketball team in the first exhibition game of the season, and they didn't, as the Deacs got out to a quick start and never let up en route to a 63 point victory.
I'm sure Coach Petersen wasn't happy with some of the things that he saw on the court (rebounding for stretches, help defense on the baseline, some careless turnovers), but with a 102-39 victory, it is hard to be too critical of your team.
Freshman Dearica Hamby showed why the Deacs were lucky to grab her, as she put up 18 points and 9 rebounds in just 14 minutes of play. She was very active all over the court, and has the ability to push out on defense and close down the passing lanes on the perimeter.
Click through the jump for more of the breakdown and observations from the first exhibition of the year.
In front of a sparse crowd, the Deacs used a swarming defense to force 30 turnovers from the Bears (21 steals).
Coach Petersen mixed up some man to man with a 2-3 zone throughout the game as players were rotated in and out.
There is a bit of work to be done in the 2-3, particularly down low. Since the defense extends pressure, sometimes even beyond the 3-point line, the help defense at the baseline has to be sharp. While the stats looked pretty good, there were some late switches, lack of communication, and just things that one would expect to occur in the first game of the year.
In addition to the brilliance of Hamby, there were several other good performances from the team:
- Chelsea Douglas finished with 17 points, 5 assists and no turnovers in 17 minutes.
- Asia Williams played 26 minutes and accumulated 15 points and 8 rebounds.
- Brooke Thomas filled up the stat sheet with 6 assists, 4 steals, 6 rebounds, and 2 points.
- Graduate student Camille Collier, in her first game back from a torn ACL last year, came in late to play 7 minutes, and hit a three-pointer with under 5 seconds left to push the Deacs over the century-mark in points. She received a fantastic standing ovation upon her entrance from the knowledgeable Deacon crowd.