Beverly sparks Wolfpack in home finale win against Wake Forest, 84-64

WTVD-AP
Saturday, March 7, 2020
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- DJ Funderburk scored 19 points to help North Carolina State beat Wake Forest 84-64 on Friday as close the regular season on a high note.

Braxton Beverly scored all 16 of his points for the Wolfpack (19-12, 10-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) as part of a 24-4 run in the first half. He made all six of his field-goal attempts, including four 3-pointers, during the spurt.

On Senior Night, Markell Johnson had 13 points and 10 assists in his final regular-season home game for the Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack shot 62% from the field in the first half en route to a 44-31 lead at halftime.

C.J. Bryce scored 11 points, and Devon Daniels and Danny Dixon had 10 points each for N.C. State.

Brandon Childress scored 19 points and Olivier Sarr had 14 points to lead Wake Forest (13-17, 6-14), which trailed by at least 10 points throughout the second half.

Jahcobi Neath added 12 points and Chaundee Brown had 10 points for the Demon Deacons.

BIG PICTURE

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons missed out on a chance to beat Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State in the same season for the first time since 2014. They dropped to 1-9 on the road in conference play, failing to win more than one ACC road game for the ninth season out of the last 10.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack needed this win to keep alive their chances for an NCAA tournament bid. N.C. State missed the tournament last year after finishing 9-9 in league play during the regular season, and the team is on the bubble again after posting another .500 conference record.

WHAT'S NEXT

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons will play on Tuesday in the first round of the ACC tournament, where they have lost their opening game in 10 of the last 12 years.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack will play on Wednesday in the second round of the conference tournament, which they last won in 1987.