NC State defeats Wake Forest 90-74
A full game story with quotes and analysis is available here.
Behind impressive performances from Jarkel Joiner and DJ Burns, NC State took down Wake Forest 90-74 at home, handing the Deacs their second-straight loss and effectively putting their NCAA Tournament at-large bid hopes to bed.
Joiner and Burns combined for 50 points, with Joiner out-scoring Wake Forest’s highest point-getter — Tyree Appleby — by 10.
Both Wake Forest and NC State began the game on fire, shooting the ball at 89% and 78% clips respectively from the field. By the time the under-16 timeout hit — at 13:34 — the teams had combined for 36 points, with Wake Forest holding a four-point lead.
Trailing by five midway through the first half, NC State turned on the jets, scoring nine of the next 12 points. Wake Forest recovered with a three-pointer to retake the lead, but the minor gap was closed.
Once Wake Forest’s shots stopped falling at such a high rate, NC State was able to capitalize. The Wolfpack outscored the Deacs 10-2 in a four-minute stretch, forcing head coach Steve Forbes to call his first timeout of the game.
In response, Wake Forest embarked on a 8-2 run to tie the game. But, in the final minute, NC State scored eight of the last 11, including a bucket on a Damari Monsanto turnover that saw him go down with an apparent leg/knee injury. With that, the Wolfpack entered halftime with a 52-46 lead.
After cutting the lead to four on the first possession of the second half, Wake Forest gave up eight of the next 10 points, including a dagger Terquavion Smith three following an Appleby turnover. With that, Forbes took his second timeout to try and inject some life back into his team.
In a 4:17 span midway through the second half, Wake Forest’s shooting went cold. The Deacs missed six-straight shots and turned the ball over three times. During that stretch, NC State scored six points while holding Wake Forest scoreless, allowing the Wolfpack to take their biggest lead of the game — 11.
Despite several efforts from Wake Forest to fight their way back into the game — Appleby scored eight of the Deacs’ points in a row — the deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
With their eyes now turning towards what will prove to be a make-or-break ACC Tournament, Wake Forest will next face off against Notre Dame at home on Saturday. Tip off is set for 7pm ET on ACC Network.
Wake Forest Key Stats:
27-52 FG (51.9%)
12-30 3PT (40.0%)
24 rebounds, 4 offensive
14 turnovers
NC State Key Stats:
36-62 FG (58.1 %)
8-20 3PT (40.0%)
31 rebounds, 8 offensive
7 turnovers
Wake Forest Notable Players:
Tyree Appleby: 19 pts, 6-13 FG, 4-10 3PT, 4 ast, 4 TOs
Cameron Hildreth: 13 pts, 5-8 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3 TOs
NC State Notable Players:
Jarkel Joiner: 29 pts, 12-20 FG, 3-7 3PT
DJ Burns: 21 pts, 8-11 FG, 5-7 FT, 5 reb
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