It won’t erase the Wolfpack’s loss to them earlier in the season, but the NC State men’s basketball team took care of business at PNC Arena Sunday night, earning a 94-74 win against Wake Forest.
Junior guard Markell Johnson didn’t play in the first matchup between the two teams, but he scored an ACC career-high 25 points in this one for the Wolfpack (20-8, 8-7 ACC), while the Demon Deacons (10-16, 3-11 ACC) shot just 38 percent from the field in the team’s seventh loss in its past nine games.
“Give Wake Forest credit for their win at Wake Forest,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “I’m not going to take away from it because Markell wasn’t there. Injuries are part of the game, but tonight, I thought Markell was special, and he was obviously the difference in the game.”
It would be an understatement to say Johnson carried the Pack, and on a night where NC State legend and former ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren was honored pregame, it was only fitting that there was another prolific scorer on the floor for the home team. Johnson shot lights out in the first half, going 5 of 6 from long range, and finished the half with 19 points, while no other Wolfpack player eclipsed five points going into the break. Johnson would finish with a career-high six 3-pointers, shooting 9 of 13 overall.
“I was just feeling confident,” Johnson said. “I didn’t play the first game, so me just coming to the game, I already had a chip on my shoulder.”
Every Wolfpack player saw at least 15 minutes of action and scored at least four points as NC State recorded 37 bench points. Sophomore guard Blake Harris even saw 17 minutes on the floor, despite seeing sporadic playing time throughout ACC play, with his previous high being 10 minutes against UNC. Freshman forward Jericole Hellems had an efficient 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, his first time in double digits since December.
“We’re only dressing nine guys,” Keatts said. “The message to everybody on our team is, ‘I want you to play as hard as you can for as long as you can.’”
NC State started the game by grabbing a quick 9-0 lead, but it wasn’t long before Wake Forest figured things out. The Deacons employed a zone defense, something that stifled the Wolfpack offense in its 71-67 loss to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem earlier this season, and managed to stay within striking distance in the first half despite never taking the lead.
The Demon Deacons cut the Wolfpack’s 41-32 halftime lead to just five points four minutes into the second half, but a 10-0 Wolfpack run made it 56-41, and it was all NC State from there.
NC State led by at least 11 for the final 15 minutes, even with Johnson only adding six more points in the second half. Redshirt senior guard Torin Dorn added 11 points in the second half, while Hellems scored all but two of his 14 points after halftime.
“We’ve found our chemistry coming from earlier in the ACC season to now,” Dorn said. “Getting Markell back helped us too, but I think we’re a better team offensively and defensively.”
Wake Forest just couldn’t keep up with the high-scoring Pack offense, especially after Wake Forest star freshman Jaylen Hoard picked up his fourth foul early in the second half as NC State eventually took the win, 94-74. The 20-point margin is the largest in a Wolfpack win against the Deacons since 2012, when NC State topped them by 36 on the road.
“We were hungry to come out and get this one,” said sophomore guard Braxton Beverly. “We played harder, we played with more passion and we paid attention to the scouting report more.”
The Wolfpack will have a week off before it faces its toughest test remaining in the regular season when it heads to Tallahassee, Florida to take on Florida State Saturday in search of another marquee win for its NCAA Tournament resume.
Freshman forward Jericole Hellems shoots against Wake Forest on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 at PNC Arena. Hellems scored 14 points on 57 percent shooting in the Wolfpack’s 94-74 win.
