NC State has been searching for a spark for weeks, and finally received one Saturday.
The Wolfpack found a different formula, with senior forward Dontrez Styles and freshman wing Paul McNeil combining for 46 points and 14 rebounds in a 85-73 win over Wake Forest.
NC State belied all its trends and normal statistics, by shooting 50 percent from the field and going 13 of 32 from three-point land for 40.6 percent. NCSU stepped it up when it became “winning time” in the second half, and the Demon Deacons shot just 35.7 percent after halftime.
NC State improved to 11-16 overall and 4-12 in the ACC, and Wake Forest fell to 19-8 overall and 11-5 in the league.
The Demon Deacons made one field goal over the last 10:18 of the game.
“We knew coming in, Wake Forest is a great team,” Styles said. “We got embarrassed against Carolina [on Wednesday]. We knew coming out today, we were just going to come out here and play our hearts out. That's what we did. We got the win.”
McNeil proved to be the catalyst in his first start, giving the team shot-making and energy. He scored the first five points of the game and the Wolfpack opened an 11-0 lead. He proved in the second half, that his mini-spark could be sustained. He scored 17 of his game-high 24 points after halftime to propel the Wolfpack to victory.
Styles could see that McNeil was starting to build some momentum.
“He didn't need my advice at all,” Styles said. “He came right there hooping. So, I'm very proud of him. I’m genuinely proud of him. I’m very excited for him. He has a bright future.”
NC State was able to score a season-high 85 points against a high-major opponent and avenge a 77-59 loss to the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Jan. 4. McNeil played just two minutes in that contest, while it was Wake Forest freshman wing Jayden Harris, who came through with 17 points.
McNeil said he learned he would be starting 10 minutes before the game started.
“Its dreams come true,” McNeil said. “It's a blessing for me to be that we had an opportunity,” McNeil said. “I did well, and I did the best for my team.
“Just bringing the energy, bringing the fight to them first. That's what I did. You see the results of it.”
The season hasn’t had many highlights, but coach Kevin Keatts wanted to show his players would bounce back after the loss at North Carolina.
“When we left Carolina, we didn’t like anything about the way we played the first half,” Keatts said. “The silver lining is that we play really good in the second half [vs. UNC], and that Paul McNeil played well. I wanted to shake the lineup up.”
Keatts elected to send leading scorer Marcus Hill to the bench. Hill, who is a senior but could have eligibility for next year due to playing two years of junior college, added nine points in 22 minutes.
History will show if McNeil’s performance ends up being his jumping off point or a blip on the screen, but the gifted scorer showed in minutes that mattered why he was revered for his offensive skills at Rockingham (N.C.) Senior High. Rivals.com ranked him No. 53 overall in the class of 2024.
McNeil said he didn’t feel he proved a point with his play, but he knows it was just one game. The goal is to finish the season strong.
“It was hard man, just coming in as a freshman, trying to learn the ways,” McNeil said. “He [Keatts] seen me building. He seen me working. He trusted me and it's paying off.”
Keatts simply pointed out that McNeil wasn’t ready going into the season and that it has been a slow process. McNeil showed flashes in the second halves of blowout losses against Louisville and North Carolina this month.
“He’s grown, man,” Keatts said. “God, if you would have saw him the first month or two, man, what a talented high school scorer. Couldn't guard anybody. Didn't have any interest in guarding anybody. Really wasn't making his shots. Wasn't in shape.”
Keatts said he need to sit down McNeil and have him understand that enjoying life as a college basketball player isn’t the same as loving to play college basketball.
“Really, really loved college life at NC State,” Keatts said. “Like I had to bring him in at one point. It's like, man, are you partying every night? That's what freshmen do. The maturity that he's gotten better, and he's grown. He’s doing it through practice.”
Wake Forest made its moves halfway through the second half. WFU went on a 11-2 run to open up a 61-56 lead with 8:23 left in the game. NC State didn’t crumble or fall apart.
Instead, NC State went on 13-0 run to open up a 69-61 lead with 4:46 left, with three different player making three-pointers. NCSU outscored the Demon Deacons 16-12 from that point on and avoided any drama.
McNeil scored 10 of his 24 points over that stretch with 8:23 left., and Styles chipped in seven points.
NC State had the lead for 33:10 of the game and senior point guard Michael O’Connell controlled the tempo and had nine points and 13 assists.
NC State returns to action Wednesday at Syracuse and both teams are trying to reach the ACC Tournament. NC State plays on the road at Syracuse and Georgia Tech, home vs. Pittsburgh and at Miami (Fla.). Syracuse hosts NC State, plays at Virginia Tech and SMU, and hosts Virginia.
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