Coming off two road wins at Miami and No. 13 Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech returned home to Cassell Coliseum with lots of momentum facing a Wake Forest team that was winless in ACC play. The Hokies didn't have nearly their best stuff in this game with 19 turnovers on the day, but Tech did what good teams do and found a way to win even when they don't have their best stuff.
The Hokies beat Wake Forest 61-54 to improve to 12-4 on the season including 3-2 in ACC play while the Demon Deacons fell to 7-9 on the season including 0-5 on the season. Virginia Tech will look to extend their winning to four when they take on Virginia this Thursday.
Tech did not have their best stuff in this game with 19 turnovers on the day including 16 turnovers in the first 25 minutes. However, the Hokies tightened up down the stretch with only three turnovers in the closing 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Wake Forest also had 17 turnovers of their own, with VT turning that into a 16-15 points in the paint edge.
One of the most important parts of this game for the Hokies was their ability to get the free-throw line, getting 24 free-throw attempts compared to 10 for Wake Forest with VT going 18-24 at the free-throw line while the Demon Deacons went 5-10. Tech was also much more efficient shooting the ball as they were 46.5% (20-43) from the field while Wake Forest shot 41.1% (23-56) with both teams only making three threes on 15+ attempts from behind the arc.
Add in a 10-2 run in the closing minutes thanks in part to the Hokies drawing fouls and making free throws, and it becomes clear how the Hokies got this one done.
A big reason for that efficiency was Rose Micheaux who had 20 points on a perfect 9-9 shooting from the field plus 2-4 from the free-throw line while adding nine rebounds, two assists, and one steal. In the process, she tied a school record for the most shots made in a single game without a miss at nine. The Hokie who most recently who achieved that feat prior to Micheaux today was Nicole Jones against Fordham on January 2nd, 1999.
Tech didn't have a great day on the glass despite Micheaux's efforts as Wake Forest held an 11-5 offensive rebounding advantage that they turned into a 13-7 second chance points edge.
Carleigh Wenzel was limited to 17 minutes due to foul trouble in this game, but the Hokies' lead guard was big down the stretch with six of 10 points during the crucial 10-2 run on her way to having nine points and five assists. Meanwhile, Carys Baker had 11 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block while drawing an absurd nine fouls in this game.
Lane White added 10 points and two rebounds while Matilda Ekh had a cold shooting night at 2-10 from the field but still had seven points, four assists, and four rebounds. Mackenzie Nelson took on a larger role with Wenzel and White dealing with foul trouble and though she had five first half turnovers, she had none in the secnd half plus two points, four assists, two steals, and two rebounds.
Leila Wells played 11 minutes as well due in part to the foul trouble, finishing this game with two points and one assist while Kayl Petersen had a rebound in nine minutes of action.
Wake Forest was led by Elise Williams who had 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Malaya Cowles added 10 points and four steals before fouling out while Raegyn Conley gave Wake Forest 10 points off the bench.
The Hokies clearly didn't have their best stuff today, but they kept grinding it out and finding a way to win, even against a conference opponent regardless of the stature of said opponent. Learning how to win when you don't have your best stuff is crucial for the Hokies if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament for a fifth-straight season, with the avoidance of a loss being huge for a resume that made a big jump this week thanks to the win at Georgia Tech.
Of course, the Hokies can't afford to play like that if they want to win their next two games during this homestand against Virginia and Louisville. But having an extended break at home should provide a nice reset and recharge button for a Hokie team that has had three-straight 40+ minute fights on their hands, and come out with three victories.
