Rally Falls Short against Wake Forest, 85-79

Thursday, March 5

Greensboro, N.C.

11:00 a.m.

Syracuse University

21-9 (11-5ACC)

Wake Forest

13-19 (2-14ACC)

Wake Forest

Syracuse

3/5/2015 1:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Syracuse suffers 86-79 loss in the ACC Tournament second round

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 22/24 Syracuse University women's basketball team made a late rally, but fell short, 85-79, against Wake Forest in the second round of the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Thursday morning at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Syracuse (21-9) trailed by 14 points with 3:44 remaining in regulation, but went on a 13-2 run to make it a three-point contest with 51 seconds left in the contest. Wake Forest (13-19) sank four free throws in the final 16 seconds to secure the upset.

For the third straight game, sophomore guard Alexis Peterson scored in double-figures, tallying 15 points in the first half. Peterson finished with a personal-best 34 points, her fifth 20-point contest of the 2014-15 season. Junior guard Cornelia Fondren registered a career-high 16 points, as well.

The Syracuse defense stepped up to the task early in its second-round matchup. The Orange forced five turnovers in the first 3:59 of competition, scoring six points off turnovers to help the team to a 12-5 advantage. Wake Forest responded with a 12-0 run to take a 17-12 edge with 14:42 to play in the first half.

Down five points, an Orange trio shined in the remaining minutes of the first frame, guiding the squad to a 36-33 halftime lead. Peterson, a Second Team All-ACC performer, scored 13 points in the final 14:42 of the first half. She finished with a team-high 15 points in the opening 20 minutes. Fondren had five points during that stretch and 11 total points in the half. Junior forward Taylor Ford recorded six points, as well.

It was a back-and-forth affair to begin the second half. In the opening 5:57 of the final frame, the teams exchanged leads six times. Down 48-46 with 14:03 remaining in regulation, Wake Forest went on a 22-5 run to take a 15-point lead with 7:08 left.

Just when it looked like it was over as the Orange trailed by 14 points with 3:44 remaining, Syracuse made a late run. The squad went on a 13-2 run to make it an 81-78 game with less than one minute to play in regulation. During that stretch, Peterson had seven points and junior guard Brianna Butler knocked down two 3-point field goals.

That would be the closest it would get for the Orange, as Wake Forest knocked down four free throws in the final 16 seconds of play to record its second win in the conference tournament.

With the setback on Thursday, the Syracuse women's basketball team has been knocked out of the ACC Tournament. The Orange will now await its postseason fate. The bracket for the 2015 NCAA Tournament will be released on Monday, March 16.