College basketball: Hellems carries NC State to victory with career-best 31
Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 28, 2021
Associated Press
RALEIGH — Jericole Hellems drained six 3-pointers, scored a career-high 31 points and N.C. State outran Louisiana Tech 90-81 on Saturday.
All five starters reached double figures for N.C. State (5-1), which is undefeated at home. Casey Morsell and Cam Hayes scored 14 points each — Hayes with five assists — while Dereon Seabron and Ebenezer Dowuona scored 10 each.
Dowuona’s points were a career best and he added a career-high six blocks. Seabron added five steals.
The Wolfpack forced 14 turnovers while committing just six themselves and had 10 steals while scoring 20 points off Louisiana Tech miscues.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. poured in a career-high 30 points with a career-best 18 rebounds for Louisiana Tech (4-2), which saw its four-game win streak end.
Hellems drained back-to-back 3s, the second off a Seabron steal, as N.C. State jumped out 8-2 and led the rest of the way.
N.C. State entertains Nebraska on Wednesday.
LSU 75, Wake Forest 61
DESTIN, Fla. — Efton Reid scored 14 points and sparked a big first-half run and LSU breezed to a 75-61 victory over Wake Forest in the championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic.
Wake Forest led 11-6 after a 3-pointer by Khadim Sy with 12:18 left in the first half, but Reid slammed home a dunk that seemed to spark the Tigers (7-0). Tari Eason followed Reid with a bucket and two free throws and Brandon Murray, Xavier Pinson and Alex Fudge all hit 3s to cap a 15-0 run.
The Demon Deacons (6-1) closed to within three points, but Eason hit a 3 to start a 7-0 spurt and LSU led 31-21 at halftime. The Tigers’ lead never dropped below nine after intermission.
Daivien Williams hit 12 of 13 foul shots and scored 20 to pace the Deacons. Jake Laravia pitched in with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Alondes Williams contributed 14 points and eight boards.
Williams scored seven of his game-high 24 points in overtime as Wake Forest held off Oregon State 80-77 Friday night to advance to the championship game.
UNC Greensboro 54, Vermont 51
GREENSBORO — Kobe Langley scored 19 points off the bench and helped lift UNC Greensboro to victory over Vermont.
De’Monte Buckingham scored 12 points with eight rebounds for UNC Greensboro (6-2), which earned its fourth consecutive home victory.
Ryan Davis scored 17 points for the Catamounts (5-3). Finn Sullivan scored 12 and Isaiah Powell grabbed seven rebounds.
Ben Shungu, the Catamounts’ second leading scorer entering the matchup at 14.0 points per game, finished 1-for-9 shooting.
Davidson 88, Robert Morris 70
DAVIDSON — Hyunjung Lee tossed in 23 points to propel Davidson past Robert Morris.
Michael Jones had 15 points for the Wildcats (4-2). Desmond Watson scored 11 points, while Luka Brajkovic pitched in with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Kahliel Spear had 15 points and nine rebounds to pace the Colonials (0-5).
East Carolina 70, Coppin State 68
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Tristen Newton hit a jump shot with a second remaining to lead East Carolina to victory over Coppin State.
Brandon Suggs had a career-high 25 points to lead the Pirates (5-2). Newton finished with 16 points, RJ Felton added 10 points and Brandon Johnson grabbed 19 rebounds. Nendah Tarke scored a season-high 20 points for the Eagles (1-9).
NC A&T 73, St. Francis (NY) 67: Marcus Watson scored 28 points as North Carolina A&T topped St. Francis (N.Y.) in the Emerald Coast Classic.
Demetric Horton had 18 points and six rebounds for North Carolina A&T (2-6). Jeremy Robinson added 11 points and David Beatty had nine rebounds. Patrick Emilien had 14 points for the Terriers (0-6).
NC Central 96, The Apprentice School 56: Samuel Keita came off the bench to score 13 points to lift North Carolina Central to a win over The Apprentice School. Cameron Butler had 13 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina Central (2-4). Randy Miller Jr. added 12 points. Alex Caldwell had 12 points.
Karree Smith had 16 points for the Builders, members of the USCAA.
High Point 90, Chowan 60: Alex Holt and Jaden House scored 17 points apiece as High Point rolled past Chowan.
Holt shot 8 for 10 from the floor. John-Michael Wright added 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Panthers (3-3). Zach Austin scored 11.
Jay Estime had 10 points to lead the Hawks.
Women
No. 5 NC State 62, Washington State 34: Diamond Johnson scored 24 points and No. 5 North Carolina State beat Washington State at the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.
The Wolfpack (6-1) played stellar defense, holding the Cougars to 26% shooting from the field.
N.C. State built a 14-point halftime lead as Johnson, who made 10 of her 16 shots, had 13 of her points before the break. Washington State (4-1) hung around for most of the third and only trailed 39-28 before the Wolfpack closed the period by scoring the final 10 points.
Elissa Cunane had half the points during the closing burst and finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.
It didn’t get better in the fourth quarter for Washington State as N.C. State scored the first 11 points and Washington State didn’t score until 3:25 was left in the game.
Tara Wallack scored seven points to lead Washington State.
The Wolfpack routed No. 2 Maryland on Thursday in the tournament opener and are poised to move up in the AP Top 25 on Monday.
The game was played at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas in a converted ballroom.
N.C. State visits No. 4 Indiana on Thursday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.