Wake was led inside by big man Eric Williams, who notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The 6-9, 291-pounder went 5-for-5 from the field and forced five Hokie turnovers in 27 minutes of play. The Demon Deacons also got a great effort from backup senior guard Taron Downey, who led Wake with 18 points.

The Hokies jumped out to an early 6-3 lead when sophomore Zabian Dowdell ran the floor and converted a layup. The Deacons then went on a 28-7 tear that lasted 10 minutes and 11 seconds and put Wake up 31-13 with 7:09 left in the first half. Tech was then able to convert some of its opportunities and keep Wake within reach, but the score stood at 41-25 going into the half.

The Hokies came out of the locker room with a burst for the second half and opened with an 18-9 run that brought Tech within seven points of the Deacons at 50-43 with 13:17 left. Tech’s run included points from Dowdell, Jamon Gordon, Carlos Dixon, Coleman Collins and Allen Calloway.

Once the sense of urgency grew for Wake Forest, they decided to take over the game and put it away. Skip Prosser’s team went on a 14-0 run that was kicked off by a Downey three-point shot. Wake Forest was able to spread the ball during the run having Jamaal Levy, Justin Gray, Chris Ellis and Trent Strickland take turns in scoring until the board read 62-43 with 8:47 remaining.

The two teams traded shots for the final stretch of the game and the Demon Deacons would not let the Hokies come closer than 15 points. Wake Forest was able to find the balance it needed to keep the Hokies at bay for most of the game. When Tech would allocate more bodies in the post, the Deacons would answer with outside shooting that seemed to be flawless at times. Wake made five of its first seven three-point attempts and went 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Hokies were led by Gordon’s 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The speedy sophomore’s stat line was once again filled with five rebounds, four assists and a steal. Tech’s lone senior, Dixon, had a tough day from the field shooting 1-of-6 for just four points, but had six steals and remains as one of the conference’s best defenders. Coming off of a career game against Miami, Dowdell added 13 points, but chipped in seven assists and four steals. Tech, the conference leader in steals, stuck to its season average, nabbing 11 balls from the Deacons. The bigger Deacons outrebounded VT 41-32.

Tech’s record now stands at 12-8 and 5-4 in the conference, while Wake Forest improves to 19-3 and 7-2 in the ACC, the conference’s second-best mark.

The Hokies will hit the road this week to take on the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia. Tech’s date with the Terrapins is on Tuesday at 9 p.m. and the Hokies’ rematch with the Cavaliers is set for Saturday at noon in Charlottesville. Both games will be televised regionally.