North Carolina State snapped a three-game losing streak Tuesday night, getting a game-high 24 points from DJ Horne and holding on to beat Miami 74-68 in Raleigh, N.C.
Jayden Taylor scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half for NC State (14-7, 6-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Casey Morsell had 17 points for NC State as he, Horne and Taylor combined to go 9-for-20 from 3-point range.
The Hurricanes were led by point guard Nijel Pack, who scored all 23 of his points in the second half. Norchad Omier notched his fourth straight double-double for Miami, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Cold-shooting Miami (14-7, 5-5) hit just 36.4 percent from the field and had a two-game win streak stopped.
NC State held a 40-32 lead with 16:22 left in the game as Miami missed eight consecutive field-goal attempts early in the second half.
The Hurricanes got their first lead of the half when Wooga Poplar fed Michael Nwoko for a two-fisted dunk for a 52-50 edge with 8:41 to go.
Taylor put NC State back on top 21 seconds later with a 3-pointer, and Horne followed with a three-point play for a 56-52 edge with 6:59 remaining.
Miami never led again, with the Wolfpack pulling away at the free-throw line in the final minute.
NC State came out flying, moving out to a 15-7 lead within the first eight minutes. Horne was happy to pull up and score eight points from jumpers, including a pair of 3-pointers from both wings.
Miami got its first lead at 20-19 by getting four shots on a single possession, as Nwoko finished with a layup off Kyshawn George’s slick assist.
Poplar, the Hurricanes’ best 3-point shooter at 46.4 percent, started off cold, hitting just 1 of 10 first-half shots for just two points (on a dunk). Omier picked up the slack, scoring 12 first-half points.
The Wolfpack went into the locker up 33-29 after Michael O’Connell hit two pullup jumpers before the halftime buzzer.
The teams split two meetings last season, each winning at home.
–Field Level Media
