Wake Forest 61, Virginia Tech 56

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) Wake Forest had enough close losses this season that coach Mike Peterson joked that he was stuck in the movie ``Groundhog Day.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> On Friday night, his Demon Deacons finally gave him a different ending.<br> <br> Liz Strunk scored 20 points, including 10 straight during a decisive second-half run, to lift Wake Forest past Virginia Tech 61-56 in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.<br> <br> Strunk&#39;s second-half effort helped give the 10th-seeded Demon Deacons (15-13) their most wins since 1991, and allowed them to shake off that here-we-go-again feeling.<br> <br> ``We go to the gym, play the same game and it ends the same way every day,&#39;&#39; the first-year coach said in comparing himself to Bill Murray&#39;s character in the film. ``It was nice to have one end with us being able to go and celebrate.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Cotelia Bond-Young added 15 points for the Demon Deacons, who will face Duke in Saturday&#39;s quarterfinals.<br> <br> For the Hokies (17-11) it was a disappointing debut in their first conference tournament since joining the league this season along with Miami. Now, the Hokies must wait to see if their top-20 RPI ranking will be enough to earn an NCAA tournament bid.<br> <br> ``I&#39;d like to think us playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation and us playing pretty competitive down the stretch will help us,&#39;&#39; Virginia Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger said. ``Unfortunately, we&#39;re in a situation where we&#39;ve got to sit and wait.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Strunk shot just 5-for-15 part of a 30-percent shooting day for Wake Forest but the second-team all-ACC performer came up big when her team needed her.<br> <br> With the game tied at 47, Strunk hit two free throws to put the Demon Deacons ahead to stay with less than eight minutes to play.<br> <br> She later scored a layup in transition off a crosscourt pass from Porsche Jones for a 53-47 lead. The junior also went 6-for-6 at the line during her personal spurt, which ended when she banked in a tough shot in the post against Erin Gibson for a 57-52 lead with 2:43 to play.<br> <br> Jones struggled with an 0-for-7 shooting day, but she went 4-for-4 at the line in the final 2:15 to seal the win. The point guard also had eight assists and a steal with just one turnover in 40 minutes.<br> <br> Bond-Young made her mark with three straight 3-pointers early in the second half, which helped Wake Forest rally from a 30-25 halftime deficit.<br> <br> Wake Forest has lost seven games by five or fewer points this season and went eight minutes in the first half without a point. But Virginia Tech never could put the Demon Deacons away, with the teams combining to shoot 26 percent in the half.<br> <br> Once Bond-Young hit those 3s, Wake Forest had shaken off those early jitters. Strunk and Jones took care of the rest, which Peterson hopes is another step forward for the struggling program.<br> <br> ``We couldn&#39;t look back on last year,&#39;&#39; Strunk said. ``We had a completely new coaching staff. There was a completely new vibe on the team. I think it&#39;s been refreshing and we feel like we&#39;re trying to turn the corner this year. ... When we graduate, we want to be able to say we changed that program, that we helped turn it around.&#39;&#39;