Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons at California Golden Bears

BERKELEY, Calif. (Interstat) — The Wake Forest Demon Deacons look to rebound from a tough road loss when they visit the California Golden Bears in a nonconference women’s basketball game Sunday at Haas Pavilion.

Organized by the Atlantic Coast Conference, the matchup features teams heading in opposite directions in recent weeks. Wake Forest (12-5) has dropped two straight, including a 43-55 defeat at Stanford on Thursday. California (9-8) has lost three consecutive games, but played Duke close in a 74-78 home loss on the same day.

The Demon Deacons will rely on guard Caitlyn Jones, who is coming off an 11-point, 3-assist performance in 24 minutes against Stanford. Over her last three games, Jones is averaging 9.7 points. She will need to help ignite a Wake Forest offense that was held to a season-low 43 points in its last outing.

California’s hopes rest heavily on forward Sakima Walker, who has been a consistent force. She scored 18 points against Duke and is averaging 16.3 points and 7.0 rebounds over her last three contests. Her interior presence will challenge a Wake Forest defense that has shown vulnerability.

Wake Forest’s season has been marked by narrow outcomes, with four of its five losses coming by single digits, including a 61-64 defeat to Miami (Fla.) last month. The Demon Deacons are 2-3 in true road games.

The Golden Bears have struggled against ranked opponents but have been competitive at home, where they are 7-3 this season. Their offense has shown potency, scoring 91 points in a late December win over Cal Poly, but consistency has been an issue during their current skid.

This game serves as a final nonconference tune-up before both teams dive deeper into their respective league schedules. For Wake Forest, it’s a chance to steady itself before hosting North Carolina State next Thursday. For California, it’s an opportunity to snap its losing streak before a challenging ACC road trip to Syracuse and Boston College.

Tipoff is set for Sunday afternoon.