No. 20 NC State Wolfpack Topples Top-Ranked Duke Blue Devils, 84-76

The ACC preseason favorite got 25 points from junior C.J. Leslie and 16 points and 18 rebounds from senior Richard Howell to record its sixth all-time win against a No. 1 team

RALEIGH, NC Jan. 12, 2013 – No. 20 NC State, the preseason favorite to win the ACC, ended Duke’s unbeaten start to the season, toppling the top-ranked Blue Devils 84-76 at PNC Arena Saturday afternoon.

Senior Richard Howell and junior C.J. Leslie

Junior C.J. Leslie, the league’s preseason player of the year, scored a game-high 25 points to lead all scorers, but senior Richard Howell’s strong work in the paint helped his team overcome Duke’s early-game advantage on the boards.

Howell finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds, his ninth double-double of the season and the 22^nd of his career. Howell had 14 rebounds in the second half alone.

“I challenged our team in the second half,” said second-year head coach Mark Gottfried. “I asked them if anyone else was going to get a rebound. Rich looked up at me and said, ‘Don’t worry, Coach, I’ll get them all.”

Three other Wolfpack players scored in double-figures, with Scott Wood contributing 14, junior Lorenzo Brown adding 12 and freshman T.J. Warren scoring 10.

Brown also matched his career high with 13 assists, his most since getting that same total last season against Syracuse. It was his fifth double-digit assist total of the season and his third double-double this year.

The Pack (14-2 overall, 3-0 ACC) shot better than 50 percent again from the field, while holding Duke to just 44.8 percent from the field.

The Wolfpack has now won 10 straight games, the program’s longest winning streak since 1988-89. That’s also the last time NC State was 3-0 to start the ACC season.

The game was still close midway through the second half, as Duke’s Seth Curry hit a 3-pointer to pull his team within one point. But Leslie and Howell took over, with Leslie stepping back for a 17-foot jumper and then scoring on the inside for four straight points.

The Pack built its lead up to 10 points with just undereight minutes to play when freshman Rodney Purvis converted a three-point play.

State finished strong down the stretch, to the delight of the season’s third sellout crowd and a national television audience.

The win is the Wolfpack’s sixth all time over a top-ranked team in the nation. It’s last win over a No. 1 also came against Duke at PNC Arena, when Julius Hodge led the Wolfpack to a 78-74 win on Feb. 15, 2004, by scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half, including a pair of free throws with seven seconds to play.

In the first half, Duke grabbed an early advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Pack 15-6 in the opening six minutes.

During that time, the nation’s top shooting team was a little cold from the field, shooting just 47 percent against the Blue Devil defense. But at one of the official timeouts, Gottfried implored his team to concentrate more on getting rebounds than starting the fast break, and Howell led the Pack’s efforts on the boards the rest of the way.

The Wolfpack hits the road to face Maryland on Wednesday at College Park’s Comcast Center, before returning home against next Sunday to face Clemson in a game that is already sold out.