Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Wins Fifth Straight at Wake Forest - A Deep Dive

Due to the predicted winter storm, the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest women’s basketball game was moved up from Sunday to Saturday at 5:00. While the Demon Deacons had enjoyed an open date, the move meant the Hokies were coming into Winston-Salem with less than 48 hours of rest.

The Hokies were riding the high of dramatically storming from behind against Clemson two days ago for a 4-game winning streak. The victory over the Tigers had put the Hokies in a group of three 5-3 teams who sat just behind the top five teams at the half-way point of the ACC regular season.  The Wake Forest Demon Deacons entered the game 14th in the standings with a 2-6 conference record, giving the Hokies an opportunity to stack together yet another win and build their resume for March.

While the Demon Deacons made Tech sweat through the first half, the Hokies clamped down defensively in the third quarter and then rained threes in the fourth to win 85-57.

FIRST QUARTER

Virginia Tech won the tip, and Wake Forest came out in a 2-3 zone. The Hokies jumped out to a 6-2 lead on the basis of a three pointer from Baker on an inbounds set and a transition three by Carleigh Wenzel.  Wake responded with its own three when Tech was late rotating over. After a Wenzel steal and pass head to Leila Wells for a layup, the Demon Deacons scored eight straight points,mostly off layups, to take a 13-8 lead.  Tech fought back with layups by Wenzel and Wells, but the Demon Deacons closed the quarter with their layup to stake out a 15-12 lead.

SECOND QUARTER

The Hokies began to find their footing in the second quarter.  Defensively, Tech locked Wake down for an early stretch in the period, limiting the Demon Deacons to one free throw for nearly four minutes. Meanwhile, Tech’s Carys Baker scored a layup in transition and made a three that helped put the Hokies ahead 18-15. Both teams then engaged in a back-and-forth affair the rest of the period with the first half ending with the Hokies barely up, 34-33.

WAKE FOREST BACK SCREENS

What did Wake Forest do well in the first half? Wake’s offense featured a heavy dose of back screens by guards up the lane line or cross screens in the lane from the weakside, which forced switches. Hokie players tended to react late, which frequently led to players like Wenzel, Wells, or Nelson having to defend bigger players around the basket. The Demon Deacons took advantage of these mismatches to make layups and/or draw random fouls. Wake also cut backdoor or off screens, slipped screens, and created constant threats with its movement.

The Hokies were caught at times recognizing the situation slowly, switching late, or not communicating in time. For example, later in the fourth quarter, Aniya Trent recognized a back screen against Daley on the wing, and Daley’s player moved into the lane.  Trent correctly bumped Daley’s player, likely thinking that Daley was going to stay with her player. Too late, Trent saw that she had to switch; the Demon Deacon got an inside pass and was fouled by Trent on the way up. Fortunately, the game was in hand at that point, but those were the types of plays that had hurt Virginia Tech earlier in the game.

THIRD QUARTER - KEY DEFENSIVE STAND

Virginia Tech began the second-half with the ball and immediately went into the high post to Baker. She missed the jump shot, but Freelon nabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled on her put back attempt.  She made one of her two free throws. After a Wake three put the Demon Deacons up by 1, Baker matched it to seize back the lead. 

The Tech defense then turned up the intensity and forced six straight empty Wake possessions, including 5 turnovers: 

• The Hokie defense forced a bad Wake pass into the lane that sailed out of bounds.
• Mackenzie Nelson drew a critical charge in transition.
• Leila Wells and Carys Baker poked away passes into the lane on two possessions.
• Mackenzie Nelson forced a five second count in front of the Wake Forest bench.

Meanwhile, the Hokies offense responded with two more three throws by Freelon, a driving layup by Nelson, a pass ahead to Nelson for a transition layup, and then a three by Wells. That 14-0 sequence by Tech, combined with the defensive stand, gave the Hokies an 11-pt lead and control of the game at the 5:56 mark of the third quarter.  Even when Wake Forest stabilized the bleeding and notched a random basket, Tech continued to respond to finish the third up thirteen.

FOURTH QUARTER - RAINING THREES

Wake Forest had entered the fourth quarter only down 13, the same margin that the Hokies themselves showed was overcomable just two days earlier against Clemson. After the two teams traded missed shots to start the fourth, Wake showed signs of life. However, team leaders Baker, Wenzel, and company put on a three point shooting clinic. 

The Hokies made 13-of-25 shots from beyond the arc for the game, good for 52%. The Virginia Tech ACC record for made threes in a game is 15 while Tech’s overall record is 18. Four Hokies made at least two shots. However, eight of Tech’s 13 threes came in the fourth quarter. Here is the sequence of shots:

8:02 - Wenzel drains a three.

5:53 - Wenzel hits a three from the top of the key against the Wake Forest zone.

5:27 - Wenzel moves the ball to Baker on the left wing for another three to put Tech up 19.

3:55 - Wenzel pump fakes on a Wake closeout, side steps, and knocks down another three.

3:12 - Wenzel hits another effortless three in front of the Tech bench.

2:13 - A newly confident Sophie Swanson knocks down a three in transition.

1:43 - Swanson follows with yet another three.

0:18 - Leila Wells joins the three point parade in the fourth to carve out the final 28-point margin.

Samyha Suffren and Kilah Freelon both made two-point jump shots in the period. However, of Tech’s 28 fourth quarter points, 24 came from the three point line - 8 daggers that completely erased any hope of a Wake comeback.

BAKER AND WENZEL CONTINUE THEIR KEY PLAY

Both Carys Baker and Carleigh Wenzel commented after the Clemson win that, as team leaders, they had to take over that game. Indeed, their combination of playmaking and chemistry helped bring the Hokies back from that 13-point deficit.

Both displayed that same leadership and play-making ability against Wake Forest.  Carys Baker led the team with 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three. She scored from a variety of spots on the court, from three, with layups, as well as mid-range jumpers. Baker barely missed a double-double with 9 rebounds. She also tallied three assists.

Carleigh Wenzel followed Baker with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three. Four of those long-distance treys came in that fourth quarter blitz.  Wenzel also added 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds, and no turnovers   Her resurgence since the winter break has been key for the Hokies. Other than a low point against Louisville, she has shot the ball over 50% in four of the other six games since the New Year, as well as shot over 42% from three in five of the seven games. She is clearly making quality decisions and continues to be one of the team’s best defenders.

MACKENZIE NELSON EXPERIENCES A REVIVAL

Mackenzie Nelson had a season second-best scoring output of 13 points against Syracuse and followed that up with an efficient 6 points against Boston College. She also had 5 assists against Syracuse. However, she might have been in what could be called a 2-game mini-slump leading into the Wake Forest game. She was 0-for-10, including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc against SMU and Clemson. She also tallied seven turnovers and seven fouls combined in those Tech wins. To be fair, Nelson had five assists against SMU and continued to play stellar defense.

Nelson came alive against Wake Forest, including making several of her patented driving layups. She scored 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting and a 3-of-4 mark from the free throw line. Nelson also had 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and proved once again that she is the queen of drawing charges. During that decisive third quarter, Nelson personally drew that charge in transition and forced a 5-second count that squashed any Wake Forest momentum. 

LEILA WELLS CONTINUES HER ALL-AROUND PLAY

Leila Wells continues to perform in her new starting role. She posted 12 points, including two three pointers. She also dished out four assists, secured two steals, and grabbed three rebounds. Along with Samyha Suffren, Wells provided pressure defense against the Demon Deacon. In addition, there were important stretches in the first half where both Wenzel and Nelson were off the court, and Wells orchestrated the offense. To her credit, she finished with zero turnovers.

KILAH FREELON IS HUGE FOR THE HOKIES

Kilah Freelon continues to show why she is huge for the Hokies. Freelon was the fourth Tech player in double digits, contributing 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.  She was a menace inside against Wake, drawing fouls that sent her to the line where she knocked down 6-of-7 free throws. Freelon also finished with only 1 foul, a testament to her ability to defend opposing interior players while staying out of foul trouble.

SWANSON FINDING HER FOOTING FOR THE HOKIES

When Sophie Swanson transferred to Virginia Tech, it seemed that she would be able to provide some of the three-point production Tech lost due to the graduation of Matidla Ekh.  Indeed, Swanson showed at Purdue that she was capable of going off from beyond the arc. However, Swanson has not seemingly been able to find her form early in the season. She was 1-for-21 from three across twelve games coming out of the New Year’s Day loss to Miami and had gotten 2-3 minutes of playing time in those four games around that MIami contest. 

However, Swanson seems to be finding her confidence and her footing. She has averaged 9 minutes over Tech’s last four games, including logging thirteen against Louisville. More importantly, Swanson has found her three point stroke: she is 4-for-7 (57.1%) in her last three games, including two confident-looking makes from beyond the arc against Wake Forest. The Hokies do not have many consistent three-point threats once you get past Carys Baker and Carleigh Wenzel, so a confident and effective Swanson can help as Tech gets into the toughest portion of its schedule.

OTHER PLAYERS

Every active player got in the game tonight (Reminder: Kate Sears is out for the year with a foot injury).

Samyha Sufften played a strong 19 minutes and contributed 6 points, 2 defensive rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Suffren knocking down her mid-range pull up jump shot is making her a reliable threat who is more than just a “head down and drive to the basket” player.

Kayl Peterson played 11 minutes and added 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot.

Mel Daley played 13 minutes and contributed 2 points, 3 rebounds (including 1 offensive), and a block shot.

Aniya Trent, Amani Jenkins, and Spela Brecelj all entered the game in the final stretch of the fourth quarter. Spela was especially active, grabbing three offensive rebounds late, including one in which she then passed out to Leila Wells for the final three in the game.  Aniya Trent and Amani Jenkins both grabbed a defensive rebound, while Jenkins added a steal.

OTHER TIDBITS:

• Virginia Tech had 21 points off Wake turnovers whereas Wake Forest only had 9 off Tech turnovers.
• Tech had 24 second chance points on 15 offensive rebounds to Wake's 6 points off only 6 offensive rebounds.
• The Hokies scored 24 fast break points to Wake's 6.
• Tech had a season high 25 assists on 31 made baskets.
• Wake Forest did not make more than 1 three point shot per quarter, for a total of 4 (4-for-11).

WHAT IS NEXT?

The Hokies are riding a 5-game win streak that includes road wins against Syracuse, SMU, and Wake Forest. The wins against Syracuse and Boston College represent turnarounds from losses last season that hurt Tech’s overall resume. 

With a 6-3 conference record, the Hokies currently sit in a two-way tie with UVA for 5th place in the ACC.  Tech plays Pitt this coming Thursday in Blacksburg with a chance to go 7-3 and 17-5 overall - if it can take care of business against the 1-8 Panthers. Tech then hosts UVA on February 1 in Blacksburg for the Commonwealth Clash.

The Hokies will close out the regular season with games against Notre Dame, NC State, Stanford, California, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and then away at UVA. Four of those seven games are away, though Tech has shown the ability to play well in hostile environments. Last year, Virginia Tech finished the regular season with 9 conference and 18 overall wins. The table is set for the Hokies to improve on last year’s campaign. 

Youtube Video of Condensed Game