Wolfpack Get Historic Win Over Tar Heels

NC State Men’s Basketball gave an unforgettable performance last night against their ACC rival, UNC-Chapel Hill. After Saturday’s failed attempt to close out the game against Miami, by halftime, the Wolfpack made sure the win for last night’s game was secured. The final score was 82-58 – making this the largest gap in modern day history against the Tar Heels. 

The Wolfpack came into the first half playing very intentionally, taking control of the court despite a couple of players suffering injuries just minutes into the game, including senior guard Darrion Williams. Freshman guard Matt Able came in early in the game making 4 of 5 three-pointers, allowing the Wolfpack to widen the score gap. Senior forward Quadir Copeland ended the game with 20 points. He controlled the pace of the game, consistently involving his teammates in a big rivalry matchup at home. Furthermore, he had 7 assists, with 4 steals against the UNC offense. 

By halftime the Wolfpack was up by 16 points, 42-26. NC State managed to maintain that lead, putting up 37 points and continued to apply pressure defensively – leaving UNC-Chapel Hill in a scoring drought for two full minutes early in the first half, then another 3-minute drought towards the end of the half. During these scoring droughts the Wolfpack scored 15 points in total, giving the Wolfpack more than enough time to turn the 16-point lead into a 20+ point lead. 

In the post game press conference with Quadir Copeland, Matt Able, Ven Allen-Lubin, and Jordan Snell, players were asked about the preparation for last night’s victory. Copepland answered, “We know that we had to get a win due to the circumstances we put ourselves in last game and we understood the hype around this game.”  The men’s team and Wolfpack fans were left more than satisfied after last night’s game. The next contest for the Wolfpack is on the road against Virginia, on March 24th at 7 pm.