Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech
Deacs' Comeback at Virginia Tech Falls Short, 93-91
1/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Despite having six players score in double figures for the first time since 2012 and shooting a season-best 58.9 percent from the field, the Wake Forest basketball team fell to Virginia Tech, 93-91, at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. on Wednesday night. The Demon Deacons nearly forced overtime, but a last-minute rally fell just short.
The Demon Deacons dropped to 10-6 on the year with a 1-3 mark in ACC play, while the Hokies improved to 11-6 and 3-1 in the conference.
Codi Miller-McIntyre (season-high 22 points), Devin Thomas (16), Konstantinos Mitoglou (14), Mitchell Wilbekin (13), Bryant Crawford (13) and Rondale Watson (career-best 11) all reached double digits in points for the Deacs, while Justin Bibbs led the way with 32 for the hosts.
After a back-and-forth second half that included three ties and six lead changes, Wake Forest found itself down by six with 30 seconds to play.
A Wilbekin three closed the gap to 90-87 before a Justin Robinson free throw stretched the margin back to four. With 7.3 seconds to play, a deep 3-pointer by Miller-McIntyre made it 91-90, but the Hokies' Terry Blackshear, Jr. reestablished the three-point cushion with a pair of free throws.
Miller-McIntyre was fouled while attempting a game-tying shot from beyond the arc with one second on the clock, but missed the first of three shots from the free-throw line. After he made the second shot, the Deacs looked to tie the score with a tip in following a missed third try, but they were unable to convert.
The Deacs trailed by as many as 10 late in the first half before a Miller-McIntyre buzzer-beater cut Wake Forest's halftime deficit to seven at 45-38. Both teams shot 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
The Deacs came out of the gates strong in the second half, quickly erasing Virginia Tech's lead with a 15-6 run capped by a Mitoglou 3-pointer to pull in front, 53-51, sparking the see-saw action that ensued in the final 16 minutes.
In addition to his 22 points, Miller-McIntyre dished out a team-high five assists. Thomas registered his 10th double-double of the year by adding a Deacon-best 11 rebounds. The senior forward also contributed four blocks.
Wake Forest returns home Saturday for a noon contest against Syracuse before facing tough road tests against No. 5 North Carolina and No. 8 Miami.
DOUBLE-FIGURE DEACS
• Six Demon Deacons scored in double figures Wednesday night, marking the first time that has happened for the Deacs since they topped Radford, 79-67, on Nov. 9, 2012.
• Codi Miller-McIntyre led the way with a season-high 22 points.
• Rondale Watson notched a career-best 11 points. His previous top total was six points.
GOOD FROM BEYOND THE ARC
• The Demon Deacons shot a season-high 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from 3-point range.
• Wednesday marked the first time since its Feb. 14, 2015 contest at Virginia that Wake Forest made 10 or more shots from beyond the arc.
• The last time the Deacs shot 50 percent or better from 3-point range was on Feb. 11, 2015 at home against Miami.
ANOTHER CLOSE ONE
• Wake Forest lost a game decided by six points or fewer for the first time all season.
• The Deacons are now 8-1 in such games this season after going 5-6 in those games in 2014-15.
THOMAS PICKS UP ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Devin Thomas recorded yet another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
• Thomas leads all active ACC players and is sixth in Wake Forest history with 31 career double-doubles.
• Thomas has recorded 10 double-doubles for the season, including four in a row to begin ACC play. He was also the last Deacon to record four or more double-doubles in a row, racking up five-straight from Jan. 10-28, 2015.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
• The loss Wednesday marked the highest-scoring Wake Forest game of the season as the teams combined for 184 points.
• The Deacons' 91 points for and 93 points against were season highs.
• Justin Bibbs became the first player this season to eclipse 30 points against the Demon Deacons this season. He finished with 32.
