Deacons finish regular season with win at Virginia Tech

Bryant Crawford scored 26 points and Wake Forests offense clicked for most of the second half in an 89-84 victory that greatly enhances the Deacons NCAA tournament chances

Michael Thomas Shroyer—USA Today Sports
Mar 4

Bryant Crawford scored 26 points and Wake Forest’s offense clicked for most of the second half in an 89-84 victory against host Virginia Tech to end the regular season Saturday at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.Austin Arians pumped in 15 points, Keyshawn Woods added 14 points, John Collins had 13 points and Brandon Childress supplied 11 points for Wake Forest (18-12, 9-9), which followed up Wednesday night’s upset of No. 8 Louisville with another impressive result.Wake Forest has its first three-game winning streak since early December.The Demon Deacons, who must play on the first day of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday in Brooklyn, N.Y., secured their first .500 or better ACC mark for the first time since 2009-10. They’ll be the No. 10 seed, facing Boston College in the opening round.Collins, who had a streak of 12 consecutive games with 20 or more points end, recovered after going scoreless in the first half.Zach LeDay’s 24 points and Seth Allen’s 20 points paced Virginia Tech (21-9, 10-8), which led 47-42 at halftime.The Hokies, who’ll be the No. 7 seed for the ACC Tournament, received 17 points from Justin Robinson, 11 from Ty Outlaw and 10 from Justin Bibbs.Virginia shot 51.7 percent from the field and made 16 of 17 free throws, but couldn’t contend with Wake Forest’s 52.9-percent shooting or 27-for-33 success on foul shots.The Demon Deacons trailed for most of the first 29 minutes before grabbing a 66-65 lead with 10:59 left. Then they dealt with Collins, a forward, picking up his fourth foul with 9:40 remaining shortly after he tallied nine points in a span of less than three minutes.Virginia Tech had won the past three meetings.