Wake Forest University
NC State
Demon Deacons fall at NC State 99-88
2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
RALEIGH, N.C. –Wake Forest seniors Devin Thomas and Codi Miller-McIntyre had big games, but the Demon Deacon men's basketball team fell short, 99-88, against NC State at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday afternoon. The Deacons were unable to put a halt to a season-long losing skid that was extended to 10 games.
Thomas picked up his 12th double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, while Miller-McIntyre paced Wake Forest with a season-best 24 points and four assists. Thomas' rebound total was the highest for a Deacon since Tim Duncan had 22 in March of 1997.
On the home side, ACC leading scorer Anthony Barber became the highest-scoring Wake Forest opponent of the season with 38 points.
The Deacons fell to 10-15 on the year with a 1-12 conference mark, while the Pack improved to 13-12 and 3-9 in league play.
Saturday's contest featured nine ties and 12 lead changes before the Wolfpack pulled away in the final minutes, scoring the game's last eight points. A see-saw affair led to a 79-79 tie with 6:46 to play, but three-consecutive baskets by Abdul-Malik Abu gave the hosts a six-point lead they would not relinquish.
A Miller-McIntyre 3-pointer cut the gap to three at 91-88 with just over a minute remaining, but NC State connected on eight-straight free throws and the Deacs missed their last four field-goal attempts in the final 68 seconds.
To start the afternoon, the Demon Deacons raced out to an 18-8 lead on eight points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field by Miller-McIntyre in the first six minutes, but NC State rallied to tie it at 24 before the midway point of the first half. The Wolfpack finished its big run at 24-8 to take a 32-26 lead, but the Deacs trimmed their deficit to 46-44 before the break to set up a back-and-forth second half.
Miller-McIntyre and Bryant Crawford had 12 points apiece and Thomas pulled down 10 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Crawford finished with 16 points.
The home team has now won the last nine meetings in the series as NC State avenged a 77-74 loss in Winston-Salem in January.
Wake Forest wraps up a three-game road swing on Tuesday at Pittsburgh before returning to the LJVM Coliseum on Sunday to host Boston College.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
• Devin Thomas finished with 21 rebounds, the most in a game since Tim Duncan had 22 on March 14, 1997 against St. Mary's. The last Deacon with 20 rebounds in a game was Al-Farouq Aminu in 2009-10.
• Thomas is the ACC's active leader in career rebounds (1,023), career double-doubles (33) and career double-figure rebounding games (42). His 15-point, 21-rebound double-double on Saturday was his 12th of the season.
• Before Saturday, Thomas' career high for rebounds was 19 against Richmond on Dec. 7, 2013.
• Freshman Doral Moore registered a career-best seven rebounds.
CODI STEPS UP
• Codi Miller-McIntyre had a season-high 24 points in the game, going 10-of-17 from the floor, including a 3-for-6 mark from behind the arc.
• The senior guard now has three 20-point games in 2015-16 and leads the team with 22-career 20-point games.
CRAWFORD SHINES
• Freshman Bryant Crawford finished the game with 16 points, hitting double figures in points for the eighth-consecutive game and for the 18th time this year.
• Crawford also added a pair of assists to become just the second Demon Deacon freshman to score 300 points and record 100 assists during his rookie season, joining Chris Paul in 2003-04. He now has 323 points and 100 helpers.
