Virginia Tech vs Wake Forest Recap

Virginia Tech 87, Wake Forest 83

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons maintained a lead of six to 11 points for much of a Tuesday night tilt against the Virginia Tech Hokies. That advantage rarely felt comfortable, however, because one dunk was enough to turn one kind of a basketball game into an entirely different entity.

The situation was notably clear in its decisiveness and drama: For the first 28 minutes inside Cassell Coliseum, Wake Forest outplayed Virginia Tech. The visitors from the Carolinas strode into Blacksburg, Va., and thoroughly outworked the homestanding Hokies by slashing to the rim on offense and clogging passing lanes on defense.

With far more alertness, energy and overall aggression, Wake established a seven-point lead (30-23) with 5:57 left in the first half. From that point, Coach Dino Gaudio's Demon Deacons maintained at least a six-point advantage for roughly 14 minutes of clock time, and still had a 61-54 lead with just over 12 minutes to go in regulation time. With Virginia Tech failing to stop the inside-outside combo of big man Al-Farouq Aminu (25 points) and point guard Ishmael Smith (18 points, eight assists), it seemed that Wake - which entered the night in second place in the ACC - would affirm its hold on the number two spot, right behind Duke. Virginia Tech - which was in search of a signature win to bolster its NCAA Tournament credentials - simply lacked fire and focus for the first 28 minutes of play. Someone needed to light a fire under Coach Seth Greenberg's group.

Dorenzo Hudson became that man.

With a shade more than 12 minutes left in regulation, Hudson gathered in a loose ball after teammate Cadarian Raines blocked a shot by Wake's David Weaver. Hudson - a 6-5 junior guard from Charlotte - raced along the right wing and packed the ball through the hoop over two black-shirted Demon Deacon defenders. The building went nuts, and for the first time all night, Virginia Tech had some real-world momentum on its side. Yes, Wake had maintained a steady multi-possession lead in this game, but when one realizes that Aminu exploded for 21 points in the first half, and that Tech forward Jeff Allen was saddled with foul trouble all night long, the squad from Winston-Salem, N.C., had missed a golden opportunity to push its lead to 17 or 18 points. Virginia Tech played horribly for the first three-fourths of this contest, but because Wake slacked off at the defensive end, the Deacs weren't able to land a crushing blow.

As a result, the Hokies became the ones who delivered a strong dose of devastation to Wake Forest in the final 12 minutes.

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Hudson's dunk not only created momentum, it sustained it. Tech went on an 11-4 run in the first three minutes and 50 seconds following that rim-rocking episode, tying the game at 65 with just over eight minutes to go. The Demon Deacons, who scored without any resistance from their opponent in the first 28 minutes, suddenly found it harder to get to the rim. The Hokies, sensing this, continued to attack the basket on offense without impunity, and became the aggressor for the first time all evening. So profound was Virginia Tech's teamwide transformation that the Hokies went to the line 47 times before this game concluded. Hudson and teammate Malcolm Delaney combined to attempt 25 foul shots for a Tech team that tallied a whopping 26 points in the final nine minutes of regulation, en route to a 55-point second half which carried them forward.

The Hokies took their first lead of the half (70-69) on a Delaney three with 6:46 left, and after a few ties and lead changes, another long bomb by Delaney (who finished with 31 points) made the score 78-74 for Virginia Tech with 3:03 remaining. Smith tried to push the ball to the basket to make up the difference, but the Deacs needed a few threes to fall in the final minutes in order to mount a comeback. Those long-distance tries regularly missed the mark, however, and when Hudson hit one free throw with 16 seconds left, the Hokies found their final four-point margin of victory.

Suddenly, Sunday's upcoming game at Duke means more than a potential notch on an NCAA Tournament resume that's getting better by the minute for Virginia Tech. If the Hokies can win that game, they'll have a shot at the regular season ACC championship.

That's how big this 12-minute comeback could turn out to be in Blacksburg. It rates as the most defining moment in an increasingly special season of Virginia Tech basketball.

By: Matt Zemek
ACC Fans Staff Writer