College basketball: Joiner, Burns lead NC State past Wake Forest; Heels edge Notre Dame

Published 11:24 pm Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Associated Press

RALEIGH — Jarkel Joiner scored 29 points, D.J. Burns Jr. added 21 and North Carolina State beat Wake Forest 90-74 on Wednesday night.

N.C. State led by just eight points with seven minutes remaining until Joiner and Burns combined to score 12 straight Wolfpack points to extend the lead to 82-67 with 4:11 left. The lead stayed in double figures the rest of the way.

N.C. State (22-7, 12-6 ACC) reached 22 regular-season wins for the first time since the 1987-88 team entered the ACC Tournament with a 23-6 record.

Terquavion Smith scored 13 points and Casey Morsell added 10 for N.C. State, which has won seven of its last nine games. Joiner was 12 of 20 from the field and Burns 8 of 11 as the Wolfpack shot 58% from the field. Joiner has totaled 58 points in the last two games, reaching 20-plus points 10 times this season.

Joiner scored 18 points in the first half and Burns added 13 points to help N.C. State take a 52-46 lead. N.C. State’s 68% shooting was its best percentage in any half this season. Wake Forest made 12 of its first 13 shots and finished the half at 65%.

Tyree Appleby scored 19 points, and Cameron Hildreth and Andrew Carr each had 13 points for Wake Forest (17-11, 9-8).

N.C. State guard Jack Clark fell awkwardly on a fast-break dunk with 18:49 left in the second half. He appeared to slip while trying to hang onto the rim in traffic and landed on his shoulder with his head hitting the floor. Clark was able to walk off the court under his own power, but he was on the bench in the second half with his left arm in a sling.

Wake Forest guard Damari Monsanto went to the floor favoring his left leg in the closing seconds of the first half. Monsanto stayed on the ground for a few minutes before being helped off the floor.

UP NEXT: Wake Forest returns home to face Notre Dame on Saturday.

N.C. State concludes its three-game homestand against Clemson on Saturday.

 

Love, Bacot lead North Carolina past Notre Dame 63-59

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Caleb Love and Armando Bacot scored 16 points each and Bacot had a milestone double-double, leading North Carolina to a 63-59 victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night.

Bacot grabbed 11 rebounds for his 67th career double-double, tying him with Tom Burleson for the fourth most in ACC history. Tim Duncan had the most with 87.

Pete Nance had 11 points and 10 rebounds for North Carolina (17-11, 9-8). R.J. Davis added 12 points.

Cormac Ryan had 14 points, Trey Wertz 13, and J.J. Starling 10 for Notre Dame (10-18, 2-15).

The Tar Heels overcame an eight-point halftime deficit early in the second half, taking the lead at 32-31 on a layup by Davis with 16:41 remaining. There were six more lead changes, the last on Love’s offensive rebound and putback for a 53-52 UNC lead with 3:22 remaining.

Up 59-58 with 38 seconds left, North Carolina worked the shot clock before Leaky Black missed a shot with 11 seconds left. North Carolina grabbed the offensive rebound, and after another miss and offensive rebound, Love was fouled and made two free throws for a three-point lead. The teams then exchanged a series of free throws and North Carolina sealed it.

The Tar Heels held the Fighting Irish without a field goal over a five-minute period and 3 of 8 overall down the stretch.

Notre Dame led 27-19 at intermission after holding North Carolina to four points in the final eight minutes of the half. The Tar Heels shot 18.5% in the first half and missed all 11 of their 3-point attempts. The Tar Heels shot 33.3% for the game and were 2 of 23 from distance.

North Carolina hosts No. 6 Virginia on Saturday. Notre Dame will be at Wake Forest, also on Saturday.

Davidson beats Saint Bonaventure 74-61

DAVIDSON  — Foster Loyer’s 27 points and handed out five assists and Davidson beat Saint Bonaventure 74-61 on Wednesday night.

Sam Mennenga shot 9 for 13 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and scored 24 points for the Wildcats (13-14, 6-9 Atlantic 10 Conference).

The Bonnies (13-16, 7-9) were led by Moses Flowers, who posted 16 points. Daryl Banks III added 12 points for Saint Bonaventure. In addition, Chad Venning had nine points and three blocks.

Davidson took the lead with 18:34 left in the first half and never looked back. The Wildcats led 43-22 at intermission.

Davidson visits Duquesne on Sunday.

UNC Asheville 80, Charleston Southern 62

ASHEVILLE  — Tajion Jones’ 30 points led UNC Asheville over Charleston Southern 80-62 on Wednesday night.

Jones shot 10 for 14, including 8 for 11 from beyond the arc for the Bulldogs (23-7, 15-2 Big South Conference). Drew Pember scored 23 points and added 10 rebounds. Nicholas McMullen added 10 points.

Kalib Clinton led the way for the Buccaneers (8-20, 4-13) with 19 points. Charleston Southern also got 16 points from Claudell Harris Jr. and 14 points from Taje’ Kelly. The loss was the seventh straight for the Buccaneers.

UNC Greensboro 71, W. Carolina 52

GREENSBORO (AP) — Keyshaun Langley’s 28 points helped UNC Greensboro defeat Western Carolina 71-52.

Langley was 9-of-15 shooting, including 6 for 8 from distance, and went 4 for 4 from the free-throw line for the Spartans (20-10, 14-3 Southern Conference).

The Catamounts (16-14, 9-8) were led in scoring by Tre Jackson, who finished with 17 points and two steals.

Winthrop defeats Campbell 95-93 in OT

ROCK HILL, S.C.  (AP) — Kasen Harrison had 24 points in Winthrop’s 95-93 overtime victory against Campbell on Wednesday night.

Harrison also had five assists for the Eagles (14-16, 9-8 Big South Conference). Sin’Cere McMahon scored 22 points while shooting 5 for 13 (1 for 6 from 3-point range) and 11 of 11 from the free throw line. Kelton Talford was 7 of 8 shooting and 5 of 6 from the free throw line to finish with 19 points, while adding 12 rebounds.

Ricky Clemons led the Fighting Camels (13-16, 8-9), finishing with 34 points, four assists and three steals. His 3-pointer from about 35 feet tied the game near the end of regulation. Anthony Dell’Orso added 23 points and seven rebounds for Campbell. Jay Pal had 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Liberty upends Queens 85-77

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Darius McGhee’s 35 points led Liberty past Queens 85-77 on Wednesday night.

McGhee was 11 of 24 shooting, including 5 for 11 from distance, and went 8 for 9 from the line for the Flames (23-7, 14-3 Atlantic Sun Conference). Colin Porter scored 13 points and added five steals. Kyle Rode recorded 12 points and shot 5 for 11, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc.

The Royals (17-13, 7-10) were led by BJ McLaurin, who posted 19 points. AJ McKee added 17 points for Queens. In addition, Jay’Den Turner had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Appalachian State dumps Georgia State 78-52

ATLANTA (AP) — Christopher Mantis had 22 points in Appalachian State’s 78-52 win against Georgia State on Wednesday night.

Mantis shot 8 for 11, including 6 for 9 from beyond the arc for the Mountaineers (16-14, 9-8 Sun Belt Conference). Donovan Gregory shot 6 of 13 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line to add 16 points. CJ Huntley was 5 of 6 shooting (4 for 5 from distance) to finish with 14 points.

The Panthers (10-19, 3-14) were led by Brenden Tucker, who posted 19 points. Collin Moore added 11 points, four steals and three blocks for Georgia State. Kaleb Scott also had eight points. The loss was the Panthers’ sixth straight.

High Point takes down Radford 69-64

HIGH POINT (AP) — Zach Austin scored 20 points as High Point beat Radford 69-64 on Wednesday night.

Austin added five blocks for the Panthers (14-15, 6-11 Big South Conference). Abdoulaye Thiam scored 12 points while going 4 of 9 from the floor, including 2 for 6 from distance, and 2 for 4 from the foul line. Bryant Randleman finished 5 of 9 from the floor to finish with 10 points, while adding six rebounds.

The Highlanders (17-13, 11-6) were led in scoring by DaQuan Smith, who finished with 19 points, six rebounds and two steals. Justin Archer added 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals for Radford. In addition, Onyebuchi Ezeakudo had eight points.

Both teams next play Saturday in their regular-season finales. High Point visits Winthrop while Radford hosts Campbell.