The 20th ranked Wolfpack used 18 points from senior forward Kody Burke and 14 points, including four three-pointers, from senior guard Myisha Goodman-Coleman to defeat Wake Forest 62-54 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
With this victory, N.C. State improves to 15-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. The Demon Deacons drop to 9-7 on the season and 0-3 in the conference.
Last season, N.C State mustered just two road wins in the ACC. The Pack lost at Wake Forest on Jan. 6, 2013 en route to a 0-7 start in the conference.
It was a sluggish affair for both teams in the first half, with State leading Wake 20-14 at intermission.
Each school had at least twice as many turnovers as baskets during the opening 20 minutes. Combined, the Pack and the Deacons shot 11-for-50 during the first half.
“I am kind of disappointed to be honest,” N.C. State head coach Wes Moore said. “We are playing against ourselves. I didn’t feel like today was one of our better efforts. It concerns me. We had way too many mistakes. We were fortunate to win. It was not pretty.”
N.C. State used a 12-4 run to jump out to a 12-point lead with 16 minutes remaining in the game. The Pack could not quite kill off Wake Forest, as the Demon Deacons cut State’s lead to five points with 6:17 left to play.
After senior center Markeisha Gatling rebounded a missed free throw, she fed Goodwin-Coleman for a three-pointer that gave State some breathing room.
“I feel like I should be shooting better than what I am,” Goodwin-Coleman said. “When I get the opportunities, I take them. I have a lot of confidence in myself and my teammates get me the ball.”
Gatling recorded her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Moore said that his starting center should have performed better.
“I will be honest: Gatling did not work hard enough in the first half,” Moore said. “That is the bottom line. I don’t know what was up. It is tough on us when she is not as into it as she needs to be. You look at the stat line, it’s a double-double. It looks impressive. In my mind, you’ve got to give Wake Forest some credit too.”
Burke, a two-time Academic All-American, was a pillar for the Pack during the sluggish opening half. She also connected on two critical free throws to give N.C. State an 11-point lead with 59 seconds remaining to seal the win.
“It was tough. Our energy level wasn’t where it needed to be,” Burke said. “When you are on the road in the ACC, your energy level has to be to the sky because road wins are hard.”
The Pack return to action on Thursday at home against Florida State, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
