N.C. State grinded out a 74-69 victory over Wake Forest on Thursday in Reynolds Coliseum. With the win, the No. 14 Wolfpack improves its record to 20-3 overall and 7-2 in the ACC.
Senior guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman eclipsed the 1,000 career-point mark against Demon Deacons, making her the 30th player in Wolfpack history to hit the plateau. She finished 16 points on the night, with 13 coming in the first half. Goodwin-Coleman connected on four-of-eight shots from three-point range.
Senior center Markeisha Gatling dominated the paint, scoring 19 of the Wolfpack’s 36 points inside.
At the half, N.C. State and Wake Forest went into the locker room with the score tied at 33 apiece. The Wolfpack shot 42 percent (14-for-33) from the field, including three-for-seven from three-point range.
Wake countered by going 13-for-27 from the field, led by junior forward Dearica Hamby. Goodwin-Coleman and Gatling combined for 11 of State’s 14 baskets, good for 25 points in the first half.
Points in the paint dominated first half scoring, with both teams recording 18 points in the paint. In the first half, the game was tied six times and there were three lead changes. Goodwin-Coleman led all players in scoring with 13 points as both teams scored 18 of their 33 points in the paint.
State shut down Hamby in the second half, allowing her to score only four points after the intermission. She finished with 15 points, six points lower than her 21 point-per-game season average. N.C. State also held senior guard Chelsea Douglas, the ACC’s second leading scorer, to 17 points, also below her season average of 18.8 points per game.
In the second half, State went on a 7-0 run to take a 53-45 lead. At the 5:32 mark in the second half, Wake picked up its 10th team foul, putting State into the double-bonus for the rest of the contest.
State’s junior guard Len’Nique Brown was in early foul trouble, playing just seven minutes in the first half. But after the half, Brown shrugged off her early game struggles, scoring 14 points and grabbing five of her six total rebounds on the night.
“Brown is a great player,” senior forward Kody Burke said. “The foul trouble definitely slowed her down, but she came out with fire in the second half and played Len’Nique Brown basketball.”
State led by as much as nine in the second half, but Wake responded, cutting the Pack’s lead to just two points with only 4:09 left in the game. The teams went back and forth for the rest of the night, with State coming out on top in the end, thanks in part to a pair of Burke free throws.
State has now matched last season’s ACC win total, when the Pack finished 7-11 in the conference under former head coach Kellie Harper. The Wolfpack’s victory over Wake marked the 23rd time in its history that N.C. State has reached 20 wins in a season.
The Pack will return to action Sunday, when it travels to Blacksburg, Va. to face Virginia Tech (11-11 overall, 1-8 ACC). Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
