Field Level Media
Jan 18, 2018
Omer Yurtseven scored 22 points, and North Carolina State pulled away in the final two minutes for a 72-63 victory over visiting Wake Forest on Thursday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
N.C. State scored the game's final 11 points.
Markell Johnson added 13 points, Torin Dorn had 11 points and Braxton Beverly finished with 10 points for the Wolfpack (13-6, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). N.C. State is unbeaten in three ACC home games.
Bryant Crawford tallied 18 points, Doral Moore dumped in 15 points to go with 10 rebounds, and Olivier Sarr had nine points before fouling out for Wake Forest (8-10, 1-5). The Demon Deacons lost their fourth game in a row.
Yurtseven, a sophomore center who entered the month without a 20-point outing in his career, has averaged more than 20 points in three ACC home games. He shot 9-for-16 from the field Thursday.
N.C. State pulled even at 63-63 when Dorn made one of two free throws with 2:13 remaining. The Wolfpack forced a 10-second call on Wake Forest's ensuing possession, one of the seven second-half turnovers by the Demon Deacons.
Johnson's jumper put the Wolfpack in the lead. Dorn's jumper at the 59-second mark extended the lead. Johnson canned two free throws at the 49.4-second mark, making it 69-63.
Beverly picked up his fourth foul with 8:42 left, but he scored the game's final points on a pair of late free throws.
Wake Forest led 38-33 at halftime, buoyed by 13 points from its reserves.
Yurtseven scored nine points as the Wolfpack built a 26-17 edge. Wake Forest countered with a 15-0 run.
The Wolfpack shot 4-for-16 on 3-pointers in the first half, getting to the free-throw line for only one attempt. N.C. State ended up 7-for-26 from long distance, while Wake Forest was 4-for-17 from beyond the arc.
The game between in-state rivals was played in a building perhaps less than half full a day after a massive snowstorm crippled the region. Fans in the upper two levels were invited to move to the lower level.
--Field Level Media