Virginia Tech used a strong second-half surge to secure an 82-63 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday, snapping a two-game losing streak in the process.
Neoklis Avdalas and Tobi Lawal each scored 17 points to lead the Hokies, who improved to 18-10 overall and 7-8 in ACC play. Virginia Tech shot 51 percent from the field and built a 43-33 advantage by halftime.
Lawal added nine rebounds while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor. Avdalas contributed seven assists to go along with his scoring output. Amani Hansberry finished with 13 points, Ben Hammond recorded 12 points and five assists, and Christian Gurdak supplied 10 points off the bench on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting effort. Six Hokies reached double figures in the balanced win.
Wake Forest trimmed the deficit to eight early in the second half, but Virginia Tech quickly regained control. A 3-pointer from Avdalas ignited a pivotal run that also featured back-to-back 3-pointers from Hansberry and Jailen Bedford. The spurt extended the lead to 61-45 with 11:25 remaining, and the Demon Deacons were unable to mount another serious challenge as the margin stayed at 16 points or more the rest of the game.
Juke Harris paced Wake Forest with 16 points. Tre’Von Spillers added 12 points and seven rebounds, and Cooper Schwieger chipped in 10 points. After beginning the game 4-for-4 from 3-point range, the Demon Deacons cooled off significantly, finishing just 6-of-30 from beyond the arc and shooting 38 percent overall.
The 19-point margin marked Virginia Tech’s largest ACC victory since February 2024.
