NC State tops Wake Forest as tempers flare

Field Level Media|published: Tue 16th January, 21:47 2024

Jan 9, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons forwards Marqus Marion (1), Efton Reid III (4), and Andrew Carr (11) react during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. credits: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

DJ Horne scored 21 points as North Carolina State beat Wake Forest 83-76 on Tuesday night in a chaotic game in Raleigh, N.C., that featured four ejections.

NC State (13-4, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) was also aided by 14 points from Ben Middlebrooks, 12 points from Jayden Taylor, 10 points from DJ Burns Jr. Mohamed Diarra chipped in eight points and 13 rebounds in the win.

Andrew Carr scored a career-high 28 points before fouling out to lead Wake Forest (12-5, 4-2). Kevin Miller added 21 points and shot 15 of 15 from the free-throw line, and Hunter Sallis chipped in 12 points and seven boards.

With the win, the Wolfpack are off to their best start in ACC play since the 1988-89 season.

NC State coach Kevin Keatts was ejected from the game with under four minutes to play in the first half after coming onto the floor during live play. Keatts appeared livid that referee Jeffrey Anderson didn't call a foul on Wake center Matthew Marsh, who made contact with Wolfpack guard Dennis Parker Jr. on a drive to the hoop. After some pointing and yelling from Keatts, Anderson quickly handed the coach a double technical and ejected him from the game.

After Miller knocked down all four technical free throws, the Demon Deacons had a 10-point lead, and carried that same advantage into halftime. Even without the four free throw fouls via the ejection, Wake Forest was playing well, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half.

Wake's hot shooting cooled off and NC State clawed back in the second half. An 8-0 run by the Wolfpack gave them a four-point lead with 1:50 to play.

Then, with 46 seconds left, Anderson assessed technical fouls to Sallis and Middlebrooks after both players were talking to each other nose-to-nose following a layup by Middlebrooks. Both players were ejected, and so was NC State's Diarra, who was given a dead-ball technical after headbutting Sallis.

NC State won despite not making a 3-pointer, a first for the team this season. The Wolfpack outscored the Deacs 50-30 in the paint.

—Field Level Media

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