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No. 7 Notre Dame seeks bounce-back win against Wake Forest

GAME 16 WAKE FOREST AT NOTRE DAME
WHEN: THURSDAY, JAN. 12 | 7 PM E.T.
WHERE: SOUTH BEND, IN | PURCELL PAVILION
WATCH: ACCNX
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NOTES: ND NOTES
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After suffering its first ACC loss of the season, No. 7 Notre Dame (12-2, 3-1) looks to get back on track as they play host to Wake Forest (11-6, 2-4) on Thursday. 

“With the ACC being as competitive as it is, we have another opportunity to get better [against Wake Forest],” said Niele Ivey, Kevin & Karen Keyes Family Head Coach. “The biggest thing is to stay together, remain confident, and obviously be better defensively.”

Lauren Ebo was a bright spot against UNC on Sunday. The graduate transfer and center had a career-high 19 rebounds, moving her to 100 total rebounds on the season through 14 games. That leads all ACC bench players by 15 boards. She also leads all conference non-starters in total field goals (53), made free throws (39) and points (145).

Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron continue to be Notre Dame’s primary scorers, averaging 15.1 and 14.8 points per contest, respectively. Citron is riding a 13-game double-digit scoring streak, which leads the Irish. She is 52nd nationally with a 52.8 percent success rate from the floor and is 43rd nationally from the charity stripe at 87.2 percent.

The Demon Deacons have lost two of their last three games, and a pair of those contests — one win and one loss — were 1-point games. 

Wake Forest is led by junior guard and 2021-22 All-ACC Second Team member Jewel Spear. She was the ACC’s leading scorer last year, and paces the team this year with 15.9 points per game. Spear is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and 86.1 percent from the free throw line. The Irish struggled to defend the Tar Heels from behind the arc. They’ll see if they have better luck against Spear.

“Spear is one of the best scorers in the ACC,” Ivey said Wednesday. “We need to do a great job of locking in on her.”

Forwards Olivia Summiel and Demeara Hinds are Wake Forest’s primary rebounders, posting a combined 14.1 boards per game. As a team, however, rebounding is a weakness for the Demon Deacons. They are averaging just 30.8 rebounds per game in conference play, which is last in the ACC. Notre Dame ranks third in the same category (42.3).

The Demon Deacons are led by first-year head coach Megan Gebbia. She previously spent nine years as the head coach at American University and has a 171-112 lifetime head coaching record. Notre Dame has never lost to Wake Forest; the Irish are 10-0 all-time. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX.