College men’s basketball: NC State burns BC

Published 8:45 pm Saturday, February 24, 2024

 

 

 

RALEIGH (AP) — D.J. Burns Jr. scored 19 points, Jayden Taylor added 15 and North Carolina State defeated Boston College 81-70 on Saturday.

DJ Horne and Casey Morsell scored 13 points apiece for the Wolfpack (17-10, 9-7 ACC), who had only two more field goals than Boston College but made 21 of 24 free throws and outscored the Eagles 18-6 off 16 turnovers. They swept the season series, having defeated the Eagles 84-78 on Dec. 2.

Mason Madsen scored 21 points, Prince Aligbe 12 and Donald Hand Jr. 11 for Boston College (15-12, 6-10). Leading scorer and rebounder Quinten Post finished with just six points along with nine rebounds before fouling out in the final seconds.

N.C. State led throughout and maintained a double-figures lead throughout the second half, extending a 12-point halftime edge to 19 with an early 9-0 run kicked off with a Morsell 3-pointer. When B.C.’s Devin McGlockton was ejected for a flagrant-two foul with 11 minutes left after denying a dunk by Ben Middlebrooks, the latter’s two free throws made it a 20-point lead.

N.C. State scored the last five points of the half, taking a 38-26 lead behind double-figures efforts by Horne, Burns and Taylor.

The Wolfpack honored their 1974 national championship team with 13 players from that 30-1 team present for a halftime ceremony.

N.C. State plays at Florida State on Tuesday. Boston College is host to Virginia on Wednesday.