Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech
Wake Topples Hokies 67-50
2/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After taking No. 4 Maryland to overtime just four days earlier, Virginia Tech was side swiped by the Wake Forest women's basketball team, who pulled a 67-50 win over the Hokies on Thursday evening at the Joel Coliseum.
Demon Deacon guard Alex Tchangoue posted a career high eight assists and added 11 points and nine rebounds in the Wake Forest win. Virginia Tech's Brittany Cook was the game's high scorer with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Wake Forest now stands at 14-11 and 1-9 in conference action, while the Hokies are 13-11 and 0-9 in the ACC.
Thursday's game marks the first Demon Deacon conference win since an 82-70 victory over Clemson on February 12, 2006 at the Joel.
"I've been saying the whole time that our effort has been good and it has been," Wake Forest head coach Mike Petersen said.
"Now we just got rewarded for having a good effort. It's hard, it's very difficult as a player to keep going back and working every day in practice when you never get rewarded and today they got rewarded. I'm really happy for those players."
WFU freshman Brittany Waters had a breakout performance against the Hokies, earning her first collegiate start and posting a career high 15 points. Just two games earlier, Waters was added to the growing Demon Deacon injury report when she collapsed while battling North Carolina. The Orlando, Fla. native was forced to sit out last Sunday at Clemson as a precautionary measure.
It was a frustrating break for Waters, who had to sit out the first seven games of the season with a hand injury.
"I just prayed about it a lot and worked hard at practice to come back because I knew the team needed me to be healthy," Waters said. "I was nervous but it just felt really good, I feel like I accomplished something and our family is happy."
Christen Brown and Corinne Groves added 12 and 14 points, respectively, from the post, marking the first time four Deacs have breached the double digit mark at a single game this season.
After grabbing an early 11-6 lead, the Demon Deacons only surrendered the advantage once in the contest. With 12:05 to play in the first half, Brittany Cook hit a jumper to inch the Hokies ahead 15-14. Wake's Groves drew a foul from VT's Amber Hall on layup and with two made charity stripe baskets, put the Deacs up 16-15.
Three back-to-back 3-pointers, one from Waters and two from Brown, quickly stretched the WFU lead to 25-15 with five minutes remaining in the first half. The Deacs hit nine shots from beyond the arc by the game's end for the team's highest 3-point total since it faced Clemson on January 14.
With 90 seconds to play before halftime, Wake's sophomore guard Courteney Morris picked the pockets of VT's 6-4 center Eleanor Brentnall but couldn't land the fast break layup. Brittany Waters stepped in to snatch the rebound successfully completed a three-point play with a foul from Brentnall on the made shot and a good free throw. The Deacs went into the locker room with a 36-22 lead, the team's first winning opening half performance in ACC play this season.
In the second half, the Demon Deacons methodically added to the advantage, taking a 30 point lead with just under five minutes in regulation. The Hokies, who average 19 turnovers per game this season, had 27 possession fumbles during the contest. The Deacs herded 23 points from the Virginia Tech turnovers.
Wake Forest will now face No. 11 Duke on the road this Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Durham.
