Wake Forest Basketball defeats Virginia Tech 77-75
Read our full game story with quotes and analysis here.
Behind a team-high 24 points from Tyree Appleby, Wake Forest won their final game of the 2022 calendar year 77-75 over Virginia Tech.
Guard Daivien Williamson added a key 12 points off the bench, hitting four three-pointers.
Without Hunter Cattoor due to an injury, the Hokies leaned on the experience of Sean Pedulla and Justyn Mutts, who combined for 36 points. But, both players got into foul trouble, reaching four fouls in the middle portion of the second half.
After taking a 5-0 lead to begin the game, Virginia Tech went on runs of eight and five-straight to lead by as much as eight. But, a 10-0 run for the Deacs helped weather the storm, and the team hung tight with the Hokies to go into halftime tied at 38.
To open the second half, Wake Forest leaned on consecutive three-pointers drilled by Appleby and Andrew Carr. Eight-straight points forced Tech's Mike Young to call a timeout and gave Wake Forest their largest lead of the game at 10.
With under 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Virginia Tech went on a 5-0 run to get within five points, and then shortened Wake's lead to one possession with another bucket.
To close the game, both squads traded buckets, but an all important 5-0 stretch for the Deacs gave them an eight-point lead. But, with two minutes remaining, Virginia Tech worked their way down to just a two-point deficit, forcing Steve Forbes to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Appleby went to the foul line twice, converting on three of four to give the Deacs a five-point lead. With a minute remaining, a fantastic inbounds play left Grant Basile wide open for a three-pointer, bringing the Hokies back within a possession.
A key offensive rebound kept the ball with Wake Forest with just 25 seconds remaining. Then, a second offensive rebound allowed Wake to take the ball a second time and go the the foul line with six seconds left. Two conversions from Damari Monsanto put the Deacs away, allowing Wake Forest to gain a massive second ACC victory.
Wake Forest:
36.5 FG%, 39.3% 3PT, 38 reb (14 off), 7 turnovers
Virginia Tech:
45.8 FG%, 26.8% 3PT, 39 reb (9 off), 13 turnovers, 24 fouls
Key Player Stats:
Tyree Appleby (WF): 24 pts, 5-10 FG, 4-6 3PT, 10-13 FT, 7 assists
Sean Pedulla (VT): 18 pts, 6-18 FG, 1-9 3PT, 7 assists, 4 fouls
Justyn Mutts (VT): 18 pts, 8-12 FG, 11 reb, 4 fouls
Andrew Carr (WF): 14 pts, 7 reb, 5 off. reb
Daivien Williamson (WF): 12 pts, 4-8 3PT
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Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.