Associated Press

RALEIGH — Wes Moore knows his fourth-ranked North Carolina State team has talent. He just wants the Wolfpack to play a little, well, meaner.

Jumping all over Clemson on Thursday was a good start. Kayla Jones scored 21 points and N.C. State beat Clemson 86-65, regrouping from an upset loss over the weekend to unranked rival North Carolina.

The Wolfpack (13-2, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored the game’s first 12 points on the way to a 17-2 lead in the opening 5 1/2 minutes. It was the edge that Moore is wanting to see as his team pushes deeper into February, particularly following the UNC loss.

“We’ve got unbelievable young people on this team,” Moore said. “The downside of that is sometimes they can’t maybe have that Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde-type mentality. When you step between the lines, you have to have a little bit of a mean side, whatever, to compete.

“We’re going to get everybody’s A-game and they’re going to come at us. We can’t be on our heels. … So that was the biggest thing: We need some people to get mad, you know?”

Jones outscored the Tigers in the opening period (11-9) and tallied 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting by halftime. N.C. State finished the game shooting nearly 52% while making 10 of 21 3-pointers, securing a 12th straight win in the series with that streak now stretching back more than a decade.

Delicia Washington had 24 points and eight rebounds for Clemson (10-8, 5-8), which never recovered from its bad start. The Tigers trailed 28-9 by the end of the first quarter and got no closer than 13 again.

“You have to give them all the credit for the way that they started the game, threw the first punch,” Clemson coach Amanda Butler said. “We were very reactive. I feel like what makes us a good team, (being) the aggressor — we were just really playing secondary to whatever N.C. State was doing.”

The Tigers host Wake Forest on Sunday, the first of (as of now) four straight home games to close the schedule. Notre Dame visits the Wolfpack on Monday in the annual Play4Kay game that benefits the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Men: Minnesota 71, No. 24 Purdue 68

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Marcus Carr scored 19 points, Gabe Kalscheur added 16 and the Gophers  rallied late to upset the Boilermakers.

Brandon Johnson scored 15 points and Liam Robbins added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota (12-7, 5-7 Big Ten), which trailed by five with 2 minutes to play. Trevion Williams led Purdue with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Eric Hunter Jr. had 14 points and Zach Edey added 13 for the Boilermakers (13-8, 8-6).

Carr rattled in a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put Minnesota ahead 69-68 with 14 seconds to play. On the ensuing possession, Purdue went to Williams, but he was called for traveling on the baseline. Kalscheur hit two free throws, giving Minnesota a 71-68 lead. Sasha Stefanovich’s last-second 3-pointer came up short.

Half-court shot sinks Gardner-Webb

FARMVILLE, Va. (AP) — DeShaun Wade  made a half-court shot with 4.7 seconds left  and he finished with a career-high 24 points as Longwood beat Gardner-Webb 57-54 on Thursday.

Gardner-Webb guard Jaheam Cornwall had a layup attempt bounce off the rim and it was tapped out to Wade, who took one dribble and launched a shot just behind the half-court line. D’Maurian Williams was off on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Justin Hill had 15 points for Longwood (7-14, 6-9 Big South Conference), which earned its fourth consecutive home victory. Juan Munoz, the Lancers’ leading scorer heading into the contest at 12 points per game, scored only three points (1 of 11). Williams had 13 points for the Runnin’ Bulldogs (8-13, 7-9).

Wright, High Point stop Charleston Southern

HIGH POINT (AP) — John-Michael Wright had 24 points as High Point edged past Charleston Southern 77-73 on Thursday night.

Bryant Randleman had 16 points for High Point (8-10, 6-7 Big South Conference). Lydell Elmore added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Alex Holt had 10 points.

High Point totaled 55 second-half points, a season high. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. had 26 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for the Buccaneers (1-16, 0-13), whose losing streak stretched to 13 games. Melvin Edwards Jr. added 10 points and Sean Price had eight rebounds and six assists.

Shaky shot lifts Campbell past USC Upstate

BUIES CREEK (AP) — Jordan Whitfield scored the game-winner on an off-balance baseline jumper through contact with 8.8 seconds left and Messiah Thompson came off the bench to score 19 as Campbell rallied past South Carolina Upstate 72-71.

Cedric Henderson Jr. had 16 points for Campbell (11-9, 7-6 Big South Conference). Whitfield added 14 points. Joshua Lusane had seven rebounds and blocked a potential game-winner by USC Upstate at the buzzer.

South Carolina Upstate scored a season-high 40 first-half points but was held scoreless over the final 4:12. Everette Hammond had 20 points for the Spartans (4-14, 4-8). Nevin Zink added 13 points.