By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. — RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Paul McNeil, making his first collegiate start, scored 24 points, Dontrez Styles added 22 and N.C. State beat Wake Forest 85-73 on Saturday.

McNeil, a freshman from Rockingham, N.C., scored 17 points in the second half including a 3-pointer for a 10-point lead heading into the final minute. His dunk finished the scoring and he was mobbed by teammates as they left the floor.

McNeil and Styles each hit four 3-pointers and Styles added 10 rebounds for his second double-double this season. Ben Middlebrooks scored 10 points. The Wolfpack (11-16, 4-12 ACC) was 13 of 32 from the arc and won for only the second time in 12 games.

O’Connell: NC State is ‘pretty resilient’ as a team

Cameron Hildreth scored 16 points, Tre’Von Spillers 15, Hunter Sallis 13 and Efton Reid III 12 for the Demon Deacons (19-8, 11-5).

Wake Forest took its only second-half lead midway through on a Spillers’ 3-pointer. But a few minutes later N.C. State went on an 18-2 run capped by a Styles’ 3 before the final media timeout to go up 11 while Wake Forest went over eight minutes without a field goal.

McNeil had a tip-in and a 3-pointer to open the game as the Wolfpack scored the first 11 points. The Demon Deacons immediately responded with 10 straight points. N.C. State led 40-34 at halftime.

McNeil: NC State trying to ‘turn it around’ and give fans, city ‘what they deserve’

Wake Forest won in this season’s previous meeting, 77-59 on Jan. 4.

Wake Forest is host to Virginia and N.C. State plays at Syracuse in Wednesday games.

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Source: wralsportsfan.com