Wolfpack’s 4th Quarter surge guides No. 5 NC State over Duke

DURHAM, N.C — NC State Wolfpack forward Jakia Brown-Turner put up 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting to lift No. 5 NC State to a 77-62 win over the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday.

Duke (15-9, 6-8 ACC) needed a win coming into this one following a tough loss to Florida State down the stretch on Thursday.

NC State (23-3, 14-1 ACC) is coming off of a close victory to Boston College on Thursday in overtime. The Wolfpack had won seven of their last nine matchups versus the Blue Devils coming into this game.

The game started as a back and forth battle between the teams as they were tied 10-10 through five minutes of action. The Wolfpack then went on a 9-0 in two minutes while Duke went on an 11-2 run in the final three minutes to finish out the period.

Duke began the second quarter on an 8-2 run led by Senior forward Jade Williams, who finished the contest with seven points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The Blue Devils held NC State scoreless for six minutes in the second quarter. During this drought for NC State, Duke had troubling capitalizing, shooting just 1-7 from the field. After shooting 10-for-15 in the first quarter, the Wolfpack shot 2-for-12 in the second as they trailed by four going into the half.

This contest proved to be a game of runs as Brown-Turner and forward Kayla Jones sparked a 13-3 run for NC State. Jones finished with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Duke fell flat in the third quarter, shooting just 1-for-11 in the period as they still trailed by just five heading into the fourth.

Duke Freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson and NC State’s Brown-Turner traded buckets to start the final period. Day-Wilson was recently named ACC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season, as the Toronto native finished with 12 points and three assists.

The game stayed tight midway through the fourth as Day-Wilson nailed a three-pointer to bring Duke within three at 60-57.

The Wolfpack caught a rhythm late in the quarter with three consecutive three-pointers, extending the NC State lead to 12. They would end the game on a 17-5 run, shooting a season-best 10-for-11 from the field in the fourth quarter.

All five NC State starters finished in double-digit scoring.

Florida State is now 14-1 in the ACC and has won 10 of those games by double figures. This marks the first time under coach Wes Moore’s leadership that the Wolfpack has compiled such a record through 14 league contests. The Wolfpack last had a 14-1 start to conference play in 1984-85.

The Blue Devils return to action on Thursday with a conference matchup against Virginia on ACC Network Extra.

NC State looks to keep a four-game win streak going Thursday versus Wake Forest on ACC Network Extra.