Hokies Fend Off Demons at Home (Video Included)

By Debbie Ballard
February 17, 2010

In what is starting to become somewhat of a pattern with this year's men's basketball team, the Hokies pulled off another come-from-behind victory over 23rd ranked Wake Forest on Tuesday.

"We never quit," junior guard Malcolm Delaney said after the game. "We never thought we were down, and we never thought we were out of the game."

That optimism helped the Hokies battle through the first period of the game, at times trailing by as many as 10 points during the first half, and 11 during the second.

The Demon Deacons had only one more rebound in their favor by the end of the first period, but led by eight points.

"The first period we didn't do a very good job of blocking out," head coach Seth Greenberg said.

While Greenberg makes a valid point, the end of the first period saw Wake Forest and Virginia Tech sporting almost identical numbers in offensive and defensive rebounds.

The problem, there, lay in the conversion of the rebounds.

Virginia Tech trailed by eight points when the buzzer ended the opening half, thanks to two good free throws by Dorenzo Hudson.

With no three-point shots made and only converting one-third of their field goal attempts in the first period, the next 20 minutes played by the Hokies proved to be drastically different.

"They were getting second-chance shots, so we had to get rebounds and we had to stop them," Terrell Bell said.

The 6'6" forward did exactly that, bringing new life into his team's defense, posting two major blocks and seven rebounds throughout the second half.

Hudson secured a defensive rebound and followed with a dunk that started the Hokies on a scoring spree that cut into and eventually overtook the Demon Deacons' lead.

"I feel like we needed something to get us started, and that's what did it," Hudson said.

Granted, there was still 11:56 left in the second period when Hudson's rebound and dunk reinvigorated his teammates.

It seemed like ample time for a comeback, but the Hokies had the likes of Wake Forest sophomore forward Al-Farouq Aminu and senior guard Ishmael "Ish" Smith to contend with.

Both men played significant roles for their team, with Smith taking on a defensive and playmaking role while Aminu posted only 25 points for the Demon Deacons.

Chas McFarland, although an intimidating figure on the court, fouled out before he made any permanent impact on the game.

In the second half of games this season Tech has averaged fewer than 38 points per game but scored 55 points after the break in this one.

Delaney contributed 16 of them himself, with JT Thompson also stepping up and posting 14 points in the second period.

"We won that game with determination and resiliency, and a lot of different guys contributing," Greenberg said. "It's a great win for our basketball team."

This win over Wake Forest puts Virginia Tech in second place in the ACC, right behind Duke.

However, few of the players are feeling the pressure of taking on their rival for top spot in the ACC.

"We're a pretty good team. We don't want to get too cocky or worried about it," said Bell.

The team will need that kind of composure in order to hold themselves as they enter Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils will host Virginia Tech this Sunday at 7:45pm.

Also on Tuesday Greenberg honored former Virginia Tech basketball player Allen Calloway, who passed away a year ago after a battle with cancer, by presenting a check for $7,021 in Calloway's name to support cancer research. A logo featuring Calloway's number 21 also decorated the floor of Cassell Coliseum.

Video by David Cooper: