Hunter Sallis (20 points) leads Wake Forest past NC State

Hunter Sallis (20 points) leads Wake Forest past NC State

Hunter Sallis scored 20 points and Wake Forest won its second game in a row by defeating visiting North Carolina State 77-59 on Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C.Juke Harris came off the bench for 17

Hunter Sallis scored 20 points and Wake Forest won its second game in a row by defeating visiting North Carolina State 77-59 on Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Juke Harris came off the bench for 17 points and Tre’Von Spillers added 12 points for the Demon Deacons (11-4, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 54.9 percent from the field.

Marcus Hill’s 14 points led NC State (8-6, 1-2), which shot 20 for 50 (40 percent) from the floor. Dontrez Styles had 11 points off the bench and Michael O’Connell provided 10 points.

The Wolfpack, who fell to 0-5 in games away from home, made only four of 13 launches from 3-point range.

Sallis reached the 20-point mark for the fourth consecutive game and the seventh time this season.

Harris, a freshman guard, was efficient in shooting 6 for 8 from the field and also grabbing five rebounds. He was one of just two players used off the bench by the Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest led 38-32 at halftime, but the Wolfpack scored the first two baskets of the second half.

Then the Demon Deacons pulled away in a series of mini-spurts. The edge was 45-41 before a Sallis drive and Efton Reid III’s three-point play.

By the time Harris dunked, Wake Forest had put together a 9-2 run for a 66-49 lead with about seven minutes left.

NC State was charged with 13 turnovers. The Wolfpack scored only five points in the game’s final four minutes.

The Wolfpack, a Final Four team last spring, have lost three of their past four games and are 3-6 since beginning the season with five consecutive home victories.

Wake Forest led 21-10 about nine minutes into the game. But Sallis, who picked up two fouls, spent time on the bench as the Wolfpack climbed back to within 28-26.