After having to come from behind to earn a win against Clemson, the Hokies got a decisive victory in their trip to Winston-Salem. Virginia Tech (16-5, 6-2 ACC) defeated Wake Forest (12-9, 2-7 ACC) 85-57 in the Hokies' fourth 20+ point win in the last five games.
With less time to rest and prepare due to the winter weather on the horizon this weekend, the Hokies performed admirably despite the game being moved forward by a day on the calendar.
The first half was fiercely contested between the two sides before the floodgates were opened. Carys Baker scored 12 points, including two 3-pointers and four rebounds, to lead the Hokies. Carleigh Wenzel and Kilah Freelon notched seven and six points, respectively.
Milan Brown led the Demon Deacons with eight points, while the team's scoring was more evenly distributed in the first half.
While the Hokies shot 37% to the Demon Deacons' 46%, they scored a third of their points in transition, outscoring Wake Forest 10-2. Wake Forest committed 10 turnovers against Virginia Tech's four. In a generally slow offensive start to the game, Virginia Tech led 34-33 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, the Hokies got out to a 16-7 run supplemented by two threes, one from Baker and another from Leila Wells.
The Demon Deacons would only see four more points in the quarter as the offense coughed up the ball eight times, setting up 21 points for the Hokies.
The turnovers killed the Demon Deacons, with 21 turnovers to only 15 assists in the entire game. On the other side, the Hokies only had 11 turnovers to 25 assists on 31 field goals.
If Virginia Tech’s third quarter prepared the coffin, then the fourth period drove the nails in, as the Hokies lit it up from beyond the arc, going 8-for-11 in the fourth quarter and 13-for-25 from the field: a season high. Five of those buckets came from Wenzel, four from Baker, and two from Wells and Sophie Swanson.
Carys Baker led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds, with Wenzel following suit with 19 points, six assists, and two steals.
This was one of the few games and the first in ACC play where we saw these two stars play at their peaks at the same time. It’s either Baker or Wenzel, and a game like this could ignite this duo as conference play picks up.
Virginia Tech looks to build on their five-game win streak against Pittsburgh this Thursday, January 29 in Cassell Coliseum.
