NC State’s Hot Shooting Fuels Road Victory Over Wake Forest
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — In another sleepy noon start time conference game, NC State rode a strong first-half performance to a 96-78 victory over Wake Forest on the road. The Wolfpack brought enough energy to a largely empty Joel Coliseum due to adverse weather conditions that moved the start time to earlier in the game.
While the second half ended up being tighter than Wolfpack coach Will Wade likely hoped, his team still found a way to get a sweep over the Demon Deacons, pulling away late on the back of some impressive 3-point shooting. The challenges get tougher moving forward, but the Wolfpack stayed perfect on the road in conference play with the win.
Torrid first-half offense
The Wolfpack took a few minutes to get going on the offensive end, but once it saw a few shots fall, the floodgates never closed. NC State scored 49 points in the first 20 minutes, the second-most in a first half since the 56-point explosion against Florida State on the road. Wake Forest was helpless when trying to stop the onslaught from the Pack.
A significant chunk of the damage came from beyond the 3-point arc for NC State. The team shot 9-of-15 from 3-point range in the first half, paced by Paul McNeil and Darrion Williams, who combined for six of the nine makes. Six of the first seven threes came from the corners, as Wake Forest had problems identifying the shooters in those areas.
NC State finished the half shooting a blistering 55% from the field, making 17-of-31 attempts. The Demon Deacons failed to keep pace, shooting 11-of-25 themselves while battling through ugly scoring droughts.
Elite distribution
The Wolfpack shared the wealth in the win over the Demon Deacons, with Quadir Copeland playing a massive role in that achievement. The talented point guard racked up nine assists in just 19 minutes of work, before being relegated to the bench with three fouls. A few quick turnovers did not discourage the always-alert Copeland, who continued to distribute at a high level.
Williams and McNeil were the primary beneficiaries of the improved effort in passing the basketball. The former stayed out right out of the gate in the second half, knocking down two more 3-point shots before Wake Forest could settle in. It marked his second-straight game with five or more made threes.
Copeland kept the offense under control. The veteran guard scored eight points in addition to his 10 assists and two steals. He finished with a team-high plus/minus of +25.
A Demon Deacon push
Despite apparent control of the game for NC State, Wake Forest wasn’t going to shoot the ball as poorly as it did in the first half. The Demon Deacons found some offensive rhythm in the first 10 minutes of the second half, with talented guard Juke Harris leading the way. At the under-12 media timeout, the Deacs cut the Wolfpack's lead to as few as seven. Harris scored a career-high 31 points, but it wasn’t enough.
A 6-of-16 start from the field in the second half for the Wolfpack helped Steve Forbes’ group greatly, as the Demon Deacons started the period making 8-of-12 shots. The discombobulated Wolfpack needed to regain some confidence quickly, or it risked a potentially disastrous collapse down the stretch.
Freshman guard Matt Able came out of the timeout and immediately drilled a corner 3-pointer, helping the Wolfpack calm down a little bit and pushing the lead back to 10. Copeland's being sent to the bench directly correlated with the Wake Forest run. Every time it felt like Wake Forest was starting a run, NC State had an answer on either end.
Final word
28 points from McNeil led the Wolfpack to victory, as it pulled away down the stretch with a late run. Williams sat through most of the second half, but still scored 20 points for NC State in the win. The team finished the game shooting 54% from the field and went 16-for-28 from 3-point range.
The win pushed the Pack to 16-6 on the season and 7-2 in ACC play in Wade’s first season at the helm. Now, NC State enters a stretch of games against some of the toughest opponents in the conference, starting with SMU on Tuesday.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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