Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG — Hunter Sallis scored 24 points, Cameron Hildreth added 21 and Wake Forest turned back Virginia Tech 72-63 on Saturday inside Cassell Coliseum.
The Demon Deacons never trailed after Sallis hit a 3-pointer, part of his eight points in a 12-3 run that made it 48-43 with 12:25 left. The Hokies hung tough until Hildreth and Juke Harris made a pair of free throws around Sallis' layup for a 71-61 lead with 18 seconds left.
Wake Forest (14-4, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), off to its best league start since the 1996-97 team led by Tim Duncan opened 9-1, turned 14 turnovers into 14 points and six offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. Wake Forest's five-game ACC win streak is its first since 2004-05. Sallis reached 20 points for his seventh-straight game.
Jaden Schutt scored 12 points for the Hokies (8-10, 3-4). Mylyjael Poteat added 11, Tobi Lawal had 10 with 12 rebounds and Brandon Rechsteiner had 10. Tyler Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds. It was Lawal's second-straight double-double.
The Hokies only forced seven turnovers and only got eight points from nine offensive rebounds.
Sallis had 10 points and the Demon Deacons led by as many as 10 points in the first half.
Wake Forest never trailed in the first half but only led 31-29 at the break.
Schutt started the second half with a four-point play for a 33-31 lead but the lead never got above Virginia Tech's last lead, not quite five minutes into the second half, came on a 3-pointer by Lawal to make it 43-41 but Sallis hit is key 3 at 14:47 for Wake Forest.
Virginia Tech plays at Georgia Tech on Wednesday, looking to secure head coach Mike Young's 400th career win. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from McCamish Pavilion.