NC State steamrolls North Carolina Central in Will Wade's debut

Field Level Media|published: Mon 3rd November, 21:37 2025

Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State head coach Will Wade answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images

In his North Carolina State debut, Darrion Williams got the Wolfpack off to a quick start on their way to a wire-to-wire, 114-66 win over visiting North Carolina Central on Monday in Raleigh, N.C.

Williams, who was named the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, finished with 19 points and eight assists to help Will Wade win his first game as coach of the Wolfpack.

Paul McNeil Jr. scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, while Matt Able contributed 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first game of his college career.

Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman and McNeese State transfer Quadir Copeland added 15 points each as seven Wolfpack players scored in double figures.

Gage Lattimore tallied 20 points and Khouri Carvey added 19 points and eight rebounds for NC Central, which is located 20 miles to the northwest in Durham.

The Wolfpack improved to 5-1 all-time against the Eagles of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, who pulled off an upset in the most recent meeting of the teams in 2013.

Williams, who helped Texas Tech reach the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 last year, scored or assisted every basket as NC State bolted to a 15-5 lead before the game was five minutes old.

During the opening run, Williams made a trio of 3-pointers to delight the sellout crowd.

Midway through the half, the Wolfpack went on a 13-point run triggered by a 3-pointer from Able on his first shot as a collegian.

Florida State transfer Jerry Deng, who finished with 12 points, completed the spree with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws as the Wolfpack rolled to a 35-16 advantage.

In the final six minutes of the period, Holloman took over, making four straight shots, including a trio of 3-pointers, as the Wolfpack surged to a 54-26 halftime lead.

With 7:31 left in the game, Williams drilled a trey to give NC State a 100-42 lead, its biggest of the night.

With 50 seconds left, Jordan Snell made a trey as NC State matched the program record for 3-pointers in a game with 19.

The Wolfpack made 57.8% of their shots from the floor, including 19 of 40 (47.5%) from 3-point range. The Eagles finished with 43.8% marksmanship overall and were 5 of 18 (27.8%) from deep.

--Field Level Media