Wake Forest pulls off tight win over NC State

Field Level Media|published: Sat 10th February, 18:34 2024

Jan 30, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts looks on during the second half against Miami (Fl) Hurricanes at PNC Arena. credits: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Carr's tiebreaking basket in the lane with 17 seconds to play propelled Wake Forest to an 83-79 victory against visiting North Carolina State on Saturday at Winston-Salem, N.C.

Wake's Hunter Sallis notched a game-high 33 points, but the Demon Deacons needed key plays down the stretch to pull out the win.

After Wake went ahead, NC State's DJ Horne (31 points) shot an airball from about 14 feet with a chance to tie. Sallis clinched it, sinking two free throws with 1.7 seconds left.

Sallis finished 12-for-17 from the field with four 3-pointers. Carr provided 15 points and seven rebounds, whiile Kevin Miller and Cameron Hildreth both posted 10 points for Wake Forest (16-7, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), which brings a three-game winning streak to No. 9 Duke on Monday night. Efton Reid III added nine points.

DJ Burns Jr. tallied 14 points and reserve Mohamed Diarra had 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for NC State (15-9, 7-6), which has dropped two straight games.

Horne, who has eclipsed 20 points in four straight games, was 13-for-21 from the floor.

Back-and-forth stretches led to a 75-75 score with about three minutes to play. It was tied again at 77-77 and 79-79, with Sallis scoring on back-to-back Wake Forest possessions.

The Demon Deacons had consecutive possessions without scoring before the Wolfpack called timeout with less than a minute to play. Burns missed, setting up Wake Forest after another timeout before the go-ahead bucket.

The frenzied action picked up earlier in the second half. After five consecutive points from Sallis helped the Demon Deacons surge to a 68-62 edge, the teams staged shootout-like segments with rapid-fire production.

Horne and Diarra made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put NC State ahead, only to have Andrew Carr answer with a go-ahead 3 for Wake Forest.

Horne scored 19 first-half points to boost the Wolfpack to a 45-39 halftime lead. Sallis led the Demon Deacons in scoring at the half with 18.

It was the second drama-filled game in a matter of weeks between the longtime in-state rivals. Last month, NC State rallied from a double-digit deficit to win 83-76 at home despite coach Kevin Keatts' ejection.

—Field Level Media