Dennis Parker Jr. and Jayden Taylor scored 15 points each to propel North Carolina State to a 76-60 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over visiting Virginia on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
DJ Horne added 14 points and six rebounds as the Wolfpack (11-3, 3-0 ACC) won their fourth straight game and improved to 3-0 in the league for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
After trailing through most of the first 13 minutes, NC State heated up late in the first half and continued to roll in the second half.
Against the vaunted Cavaliers’ pack-line defense, the Wolfpack made 49.1 percent of their shots and hit 10 of 28 (35.7 percent) from beyond the arc. They also committed just six turnovers and had a 21-8 edge in bench points.
Ryan Dunn had a career-high 16 points and added seven rebounds for Virginia (11-4, 2-2), which lost for the second straight time at NC State after winning seven straight games in Raleigh.
Isaac McKneely accounted for all but one of the 3-pointers for the Cavaliers, who made 5 of 15 (33.3 percent) of their shots from deep. McKneely finished with 18 points and Reece Beekman contributed 12 points and 10 assists.
Virginia led most of the first half, but NC State got a lift when Parker swished a desperation 40-footer as the shot clock expired.
The bomb triggered a 13-2 NC State run which turned a four-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Parker drained another 3-pointer in the spree and Casey Morsell added another as the Wolfpack surged to a 28-21 lead.
After leading 35-28 at the break, the Wolfpack started fast as Parker dunked for a three-point play and added a corner 3 in the first two minutes of the second half as NC State stretched its lead to 41-28.
Ben Middlebrooks, who made all four of his shots as he contributed eight points and seven rebounds off the bench, touched off an eight-point run with a layup.
During the spurt, Horne made a trey and Parker scrapped for a putback three-point play as the Wolfpack expanded their lead to 49-32 with 14:50 left.
The Wolfpack stretched their advantage to 60-39 when Michael O’Connell drove for a three-point play with 11:49 to go.
From there, NC State cruised behind Taylor, who tallied 13 of his 15 points in the second half.
–Field Level Media
