Associated Press

RALEIGH — Casey Morsell scored 15 points from five 3-pointers and North Carolina State pulled away early in the second half to beat Louisville 76-64 on Thursday for its third straight win.

Terquavion Smith made three 3-pointers, Morsell added two more and Jack Clark converted a three-point play during a 20-2 run that gave N.C. State a 53-35 lead with 13:05 remaining. Louisville pulled within 10 points twice inside the final two minutes but didn’t get closer.

D.J. Burns Jr. scored 17 points to lead N.C. State (11-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), which shot 10 of 26 from 3-point range and had 11 points from 17 turnovers. Smith and Clark finished with 14 points apiece and combined for 11 of the Wolfpack’s 17 assists. Smith also made three 3-pointers. Jarkel Joiner added 13 points.

Sydney Curry had 16 points for Louisville (2-11, 0-3). El Ellis scored 10 of his 15 points from the free-throw line. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

N.C. State next plays at Clemson on Dec. 30.

Eastern Kentucky 68, UNC Greensboro 64

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Devontae Blanton scored 19 points to help Eastern Kentucky defeat UNC Greensboro 68-64 on Thursday.

Blanton also added six rebounds and five assists for the Colonels (7-6). Michael Moreno added 16 points while going 5 of 11 (4 for 8 from distance), and he also had six rebounds. John Ukomadu finished 4 of 6 from the field to finish with eight points.

The Spartans (6-7) were led in scoring by Dante Treacy, who finished with 15 points. Mikeal Brown-Jones added 12 points for UNC Greensboro. Bas Leyte finished with 10 points.

 

Walker’s 25 lead UAB past Charlotte 76-68
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  — Jordan Walker’s 25 points helped UAB defeat Charlotte 76-68 on Thursday night.

Walker also added five rebounds for the Blazers (10-2). Eric Gaines added 15 points while shooting 5 for 10 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 2 of 4 from the free throw line, and he also had five assists. Trey Jemison recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The 49ers (9-3) were led in scoring by Aly Khalifa, who finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Charlotte also got 14 points from Brice Williams. The 49ers ended a five-game winning streak with the loss.

 

Avery puts up 20, New Mexico State beats N.C. A&T 85-76

EL PASO, Texas  (AP) — Marchelus Avery’s 20 points helped New Mexico State defeat North Carolina A&T 85-76 on Thursday night.

Avery also had 10 rebounds for the Aggies (7-5). Xavier Pinson scored 20 points and added five assists. Doctor Bradley recorded 15 points and shot 6 of 10 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line.

Demetric Horton led the way for the Aggies (5-8) with 23 points and eight rebounds. Marcus Watson added 20 points for N.C. A&T. Kam Woods also put up 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.