Virginia Tech beat Wake Forest 85-57 for its fifth straight win on Saturday in Winston-Salem, courtesy of a 51-24 second-half margin.
Due to the winter storm, the game was moved up from Sunday, resulting in the Hokies (16-5, 6-3 ACC) playing on less than 48 hours of rest after Thursday’s victory over Clemson. That wasn’t obvious on the floor, though, where they dominated the Demon Deacons (12-9, 2-7), who were coming off an open date and had five days to prepare.
It took Tech some time to settle in against a Wake team that frequents a 2-3 zone and plays a five-out offense that’s heavily reliant on cutting and ball movement. The Deacs jumped out to an early 15-12 lead in the first quarter and made seven of their first 13 shots.
The Hokies responded with a 6-0 run to start the second quarter, spearheaded by a Carys Baker three, and led until a quick five points from Wake snatched the lead back at 26-24 with 3:52 left in the first half. It was neck-and-neck from there, and Tech was up 34-33 at the break.
The visitors roared to life in the second half, though. After Baker got another triple down on the Hokies’ second possession of the third quarter, they forced four Demon Deacons turnovers, which led to transition opportunities.
Two Mackenzie Nelson layups and two Kilah Freelon foul shots made it a 9-0 run, pushing the margin to 44-36 and forcing Wake Forest head coach Megan Gebbia to call timeout.
The Deacs punched back through Caitlyn Jones and Aurora Sørbye, pulling within seven, but Tech ended the period on a 6-0 run and led 57-44 after 30 minutes.
It piled on in the fourth quarter, too, with eight 3-pointers on 11 attempts. Carleigh Wenzel drilled four, Sophie Swanson knocked down two, Baker added one and Leila Wells drilled one with 18 seconds remaining — the icing on the cake. The team finished with a season-high 13 treys on 25 attempts (52%).
While the Hokies’ offense took off in the second half, their defense also improved. They forced eight third-quarter miscues and 11 for the half, and after shooting 13-for-28 (46.4%) in the first half, Wake Forest was 9-for-23 (39.1%) in the second. It also never found a groove from long range, converting on just four of its 11 attempts.
Tech won the battle over the Demon Deacons in fastbreak points (24-6), second-chance points (24-6) and points off turnovers (21-9).
For the second consecutive game, Baker and Wenzel led the way. Baker paced all scorers with 20 points (8-for-19, 4-for-7 from three) and nine rebounds while Wenzel hit a season-high five threes (on eight attempts) and was 7-for-13 overall en route to 19 points. She also had six assists and no turnovers.
Wells had one of her most productive games of the season with 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. On the interior, Freelon posted 11 points and seven boards. Nelson chipped in nine points and five assists, too.
Since starting 1-3 in the league, the Hokies have won their last five games by an average of 22 points, including three on the road. Four of those were by 20-plus, with Thursday’s game against Clemson the lone outlier.
They’re back in Cassell Coliseum this week for two games: Thursday vs. Pitt and Sunday’s Commonwealth Clash vs. Virginia. After that, four of their final seven contests are away from Blacksburg.
Box Score: Virginia Tech 85, Wake Forest 57