No. 13 Wake Forest defeated No. 12 Virginia Tech 95-89 in overtime last night in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
The energy at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., was electric on Tuesday night thanks to the Spirit of the Old Gold and Black pep band, the cheer team and the Demon Deacon mascot. In addition to in-arena support from former Demon Deacon and NBA pro Mugsy Bogues, the atmosphere was optimal for a Demon Deacon win.
The Demon Deacons started the first half strong with a steal and a 1-foot alley-oop dunk from Tre’Von Spillers, along with 3-pointers from Omaha Biliew and Nate Calmese. Wake Forest started to lose their momentum as the rest of the period turned into a back-and-forth battle; however, they never lost the lead.
Wake Forest struggled in the paint against the big men on Virginia Tech, Antonio Dorn and Christian Gurdak. The Demon Deacons led the Hokies 38-34 at halftime, despite usual leading scorer Juke Harris scoring just 2 points.
The second half had Demon Deacon fans on the edges of their seats as Virginia Tech took their first lead with 16 minutes left. In the ongoing back-and-forth battle, Wake Forest pulled a 7-point lead; however, this sense of security vanished quickly as the Hokies tied the game 71-71 with 2:45 on the clock.
Myles Colvin kept the Demon Deacons in the game with a driving layup and 2 made free throws off a flagrant foul. With 17 seconds on the clock, the score was tied up 75-75, Hokies with possession. Every Demon Deacon fan was on their feet as the clock painfully ticked down. A collective breath was released by the arena as Virginia Tech’s Jailen Bedford missed a tip-in layup, sending the game into overtime.
Colvin subsequently scored the first 5 points of the overtime period, clutching a 5-foot floating jumper and a crucial 3-point shot. With an all-around strong performance from Colvin, Harris, Cooper Schwieger, Mekhi Mason and Sebastian Akins, the Demon Deacons scored 20 points in the period, never trailing Virginia Tech.
With Wake Forest’s typical leading scorer, Harris, only scoring 10 points, the rest of the team was forced to step it up — and that they did. Colvin, Akins, Mason, Spillers, Calmese and Schwieger also scored in the double digits, the team shooting 51% from the floor. Colvin led Wake Forest to victory with 18 points and 6 rebounds.
“I’m not surprised,” head coach Steve Forbes said to the team in the locker room after the game. “Last month of the season, you guys have been so freaking tough. You got down a couple of times, [but] you punched them right back.”
“It was a war out there,” Forbes continued. “I think [Colvin] got us off to a great start going into halftime. I thought [Akins] brought it home for us.”
Tonight, Wake Forest takes on No. 5 Clemson at 9:30 p.m. In a home match on Feb. 18, the Demon Deacons defeated the Tigers, 85-77. With continued momentum and all-around team performance in addition to improved play from Harris, the Demon Deacons should be able to secure the Round 2 win and advance to the quarterfinals.
“It’s one at a time. Just play, man,” Forbes said. “Let the chips fall. Let the chips fall.”
