BLACKSBURG – Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 24 points to carry No. 9 Virginia Tech to an 87-71 ACC victory over Wake Forest at Carilion Clinic Court on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Hokies moved to 15-2 overall on the season, 4-1 in the ACC. They beat Wake Forest for the third straight time and for the sixth time in the past seven meetings. Wake fell to 8-9 overall, 1-4 in league play.
The Hokies started pulling away midway through the first half. They trailed 16-15 after a Brandon Childress 3-pointer with 12:08 left in the half, but they then went on an 11-2 run to take the lead for good. Five different players scored in that run, with Ty Outlaw and Justin Robinson hitting 3-pointers.
Tech shot a blistering 59.3 percent in the first 20 minutes and played well on the defensive end, too, holding the Demon Deacons to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor.
Wake Forest trailed by as many as 20 in the second half, but cut the lead to 75-65 on a jumper by Chaundee Brown with 4:03 remaining. The Hokies, however, responded, getting a layup from Isaiah Wilkins with 3:37 to go and two free throws from Alexander-Walker with 3:09 left to push the lead to 14. The Deacons got no closer than 11 after that.
Alexander-Walker made 7 of 12 from the floor, including three 3-pointers, and he went 7 of 9 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four assists.
Outlaw added 14 points, and Robinson finished with 13 for the Hokies, who shot 56.9 percent from the floor. Wake shot just 37.5 percent for the game, but stayed in the game by hitting 27 of 38 free-throw attempts
Childress paced the Deacons with 28 points.
(1/19/2019) 2019 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs. WAKE FOREST
GAME QUOTES
Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams
(On getting back to what the Hokies do well)
"It's such an invisible line at this level and specifically to this league, home or on the road, between winning and losing. I thought we were much more 'us,' and that is not to take anything at all away from the University of Virginia. They beat our brains in from start to finish in every possible way on both ends of the floor. But the response of our staff and our team … we were off on Wednesday. On Thursday, Friday and this morning … it speaks to how they were raised, it speaks to their characters, [and] it speaks to their work ethic, so I'm thankful."
(On his team's bench play and how important it was with the starters in foul trouble)
"That's the highest number of free-throw attempts [38 by Wake] since I've been employed here. We had five guys with two fouls at halftime. I thought the last three and a half minutes, with a personnel grouping that's not always perfect, I thought they managed it really well. Mully's [Jonathan Kabongo] one minute was really important. I thought [Wabissa] Bede playing full-time point … he did a good job. I thought we were able to fight through it and manage it as well as possible. In the second half, they shot more free throws than they did in the first half, so it was hard to get into a rhythm of any sort. That's their highest number of free-throw attempts this season. I thought the poise and maturity of our team was really good in response to that."
Ty Outlaw
Forward
(On his play and the play of others coming off the bench)
"That was huge. I think that can make or break some teams. If you only have a good starting five and no support off the bench, that means that once foul trouble comes, which it's going to come eventually … once foul trouble comes, you're going to be in trouble. For us to come in and contribute … it could easily be one of us starting and one of those starters coming off the bench. So we don't look at it like that. We just know come in, and we've got to contribute to the group. It's not about who's in. It's about us. No matter who's on the floor, you give everything and you do whatever you have to do to help the team. We all know what our common goal is."
GAME NOTES
• The Hokies moved to 10-0 at Carilion Clinic Court this season.
• For the eighth time this season and for the second time in ACC play, Tech shot better than 50 percent from the floor. The Hokies are 8-0 when shooting better than 50 percent.
• The Hokies scored at least 80 points for the 10th time this season and moved to 10-0 when scoring at least 80.
• Tech moved to 14-1 when its opponent shoot less than 50 percent.
• Only two opponents have shot 50 percent or better against Tech this season – Purdue and Virginia.
• For the first time since the ACC opener against Notre Dame, the Hokies made at least 10 3-pointers in a game.
• The Hokies received 25 points off their bench – their fifth-best bench performance of the season and their best in ACC play.
• Alexander-Walker now has scored at least 20 points in eight of the 16 games in which he has played this season.
• Robinson finished with three assists and now has 534 for his career. He needs 10 to move past Malcolm Delaney into second place and 14 to pass Bimbo Coles, who holds the school record with 547 career assists.
• Outlaw scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and the second time in ACC play.
• Outlaw has made at least three 3-pointers in seven games this season.
UP NEXT
The Hokies return to action Monday night when they take on North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Tech beat North Carolina in Blacksburg last season, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Tar Heels. The game Monday night tips off at 7 p.m.