WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Interstat) — Nate Calmese buried a stepback 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to break a tie, then sealed the game with two clutch free throws as Wake Forest outlasted Virginia Tech 81-78 in a tense Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at a raucous Joel Memorial Coliseum.

The Demon Deacons, who led for over 37 minutes, saw a 12-point second-half advantage evaporate completely in the final minutes before Calmese delivered the decisive plays. After Virginia Tech’s Neoklis Avdalas tied the game at 78 with two free throws with five seconds left, Wake Forest inbounded the ball to Calmese. The junior guard from Gilbert, Arizona, dribbled up the left side, created space with a stepback move over a defender and drained the deep three to send the crowd of 8,460 into a frenzy.

Virginia Tech’s Jailen Bedford was fouled on the ensuing possession with one second left but missed both free throws. Calmese secured the rebound on the second miss, was fouled, and calmly sank both free throws to provide the final margin.

The game’s most critical sequence was a microcosm of the contest: Wake Forest’s superior ball security and opportunistic defense overcoming Virginia Tech’s persistent offensive rebounding and second-chance efforts. The Demon Deacons forced 18 Hokie turnovers, converting them into 20 points, while committing only 10 turnovers themselves. That efficiency, coupled with a 110.1 offensive rating on 74 possessions, proved vital on a afternoon where the Hokies won the rebounding battle 38-35 and grabbed 11 offensive boards.

Calmese finished with a game-high 25 points and seven assists, orchestrating the Wake Forest offense and shaking off a recent scoring slump. His backcourt mate, Juke Harris of Salisbury, North Carolina, added 15 points and five rebounds. Tre’Von Spillers provided a major interior presence for the Deacons with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, including several momentum-sustaining dunks.

Virginia Tech was led by the formidable duo of Amani Hansberry and Jailen Bedford. Hansberry, a 6-foot-8 forward from Silver Spring, Maryland, recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to go with four assists. Bedford, a guard from Austin, Texas, matched Calmese with 25 points and added five rebounds. Their efforts fueled a second-half comeback that saw the Hokies erase a 59-47 deficit with just over 12 minutes to play.

The Hokies clawed back with tough defense and timely shooting. A 3-pointer by Hansberry with 1:24 left cut the Wake Forest lead to 73-71. After Spillers answered with a dunk, Hansberry connected again from deep, assisted by Bedford, to make it 75-74 with 1:11 remaining. Spillers then tipped in his own miss and completed a three-point play to push the lead back to four, setting the stage for the frantic final sequence that saw Avdalas tie the game before Calmese’s heroics.

Wake Forest established control early with a 14-0 first-half run, fueled by active hands in the passing lanes. The Demon Deacons recorded 10 steals for the game, with Myles Colvin contributing three to go with eight rebounds. Virginia Tech struggled with Wake’s pressure, particularly point guard Neoklis Avdalas, who handed out seven assists but committed seven of the Hokies’ 18 turnovers.

The win improves Wake Forest to 10-5 overall and gives them a positive start to ACC play. The Demon Deacons had lost two straight entering the contest, including a 70-57 defeat at North Carolina State on Wednesday. Virginia Tech, which had won five straight including a triple-overtime thriller against Virginia, falls to 12-3.

Both teams shot similarly from the field — Wake Forest at 44.8% and Virginia Tech at 47.2% — but the Demon Deacons were more efficient from the free-throw line, making 14 of 16 attempts. The Hokies attempted nine more free throws but made only 18. Virginia Tech also struggled from beyond the arc, hitting 10 of 30 attempts, while Wake Forest was 7 of 24.

The game’s total of 159 points surpassed the over/under line of 150.5, defying the pregame expectation of a lower-scoring affair. Wake Forest entered as a 5-point favorite, a spread they narrowly covered with the late free throws.

Up next, Wake Forest hosts Miami on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech returns home to face Stanford on Wednesday, looking to rebound from its first loss since late November.