North Carolina

Madison Hayes scores 24 to lead No. 7 North Carolina State over Clemson, 71-49

Published

2 years ago

January 26, 2024

Press Room

Madison Hayes scores 24 to lead No. 7 North Carolina State over Clemson, 71-49

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Madison Hayes is playing like North Carolina State coach Wes Moore always thought she would.

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Hayes had a career-high 24 points to help the seventh-ranked Wolfpack win their 15th straight over Clemson, 71-49, on Thursday night. Her performance surpassed her previous best of 21, set nearly three weeks ago in a loss to Virginia Tech.

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It’s a scoring role she is happy to take on this season.

“I kind of shied away from that last year,” Hayes said. “Last year, I was more like, ‘OK, I’ll hit the open shots and defend the best player on the floor.’ But I know this year, I have to step up as a leader. Not only defend and get rebounds, I’ve got to contribute, contribute.”

Hayes did that for the Wolfpack (17-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).

She had two 3-pointers and an uncontested layup off her steal as North Carolina State opened with a 13-2 run. Hayes finished with three 3-pointers, a team-high nine rebounds and a pair of steals.

“Madison’s playing at a high level. She’s playing now like I anticipated her playing when we tried to recruit her,” Moore said.

The Wolfpack had gone 2-2 after opening the season 14-0 including road losses at Virginia Tech and Miami.

But Hayes and North Carolina State took control of this one in a hurry. When Clemson closed to 18-15, the Wolfpack went on a 14-0 burst to restore the big lead.

The Tigers (8-12, 1-7) could not respond and lost their seventh straight. North Carolina State beat Clemson by double digits for the 13th time in the past 15 meetings.

Mimi Collins scored 14 points and Saniya Rivers 13 for the Wolfpack.

Aziaha James, North Carolina State’s top scorer this season at 15.4 points a game, was limited to seven points on 3-of-16 shooting.

Ruby Whitehorn led Clemson with 11 points. The Tigers’ leading scorer, Amari Robinson, was held to 10 points after coming in averaging nearly 18 points a game.

THE BIG PICTURE

North Carolina State: The Wolfpack are versatile and constantly moving the ball for an open shot, traits that should keep them in the ACC chase. But the two league losses already have them a game behind one-loss league leaders Syracuse, North Carolina and Louisville.

Clemson: The Tigers opened 8-5 including a victory against Duke in their ACC opener. But it has been a difficult return to league play in January with Clemson falling to ranked ACC opponents North Carolina, Florida State, Syracuse, Louisville and Virginia Tech before getting slammed by the Wolfpack.

ACC STRUGGLES

Moore said it was good to see his team’s first-half fight in building a 43-23 lead at the break. The Wolfpack, picked eighth in the ACC this preseason, will need that same effort to stay in title contention. “This league is so good and the margin for error is so small,” he said. “There’s still a long way to go and it don’t take more than a couple of bad games and you’re right back there in the middle of the pack.”

UP NEXT

North Carolina State plays at Boston College on Sunday.

Clemson is at home to face Wake Forest on Sunday night.

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North Carolina

Kentucky Rolls Past North Carolina Central on Tuesday

Published

21 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky Rolls Past North Carolina Central on Tuesday

Jasper Johnson scored a career high 22 points as Kentucky rolled past North Carolina Central 103-67 on Tuesday night inside Rupp Arena.

Johnson, a freshman from Lexington, made 6 of 10 from the floor, including 2 of 4 from behind the arc, and 8 of 8 at the line.

UK got a season-high 21 points from Otega Oweh, 14 points from Malachi Moreno, 11 from Trent Noah and 10 from Andrija Jelavic.

The Cats made 39 of 64 (60.9 percent) of its shots from the floor, including 12 of 29 (41.4 percent) from behind the arc. UK had 27 assists on those 39 made field goals.

Kentucky (6-4) scored the first five points of the game on a three from Trent Noah and a Collin Chandler bucket. After an NC Central basket, Oweh hit a three to give UK an 8-2 advantage. However, NCCU scored the next five to get within one.

A Moreno dunk, a Denzel Aberdeen layup and an Oweh floater extended the lead to 14-7. A three from the Eagles cut the UK lead to four before Brandon Garrison made a pair of free throws. However, NCCU scored to again cut the UK lead to four, 16-12.

Johnson scored on a drive to the basket, then was fouled shooting a three. The freshman made all three charity tosses to extend the Cats’ lead to 21-12. After the Eagles hit a three, Aberdeen slashed to the basket for a dunk and Garrison converted a three-point play and UK led 26-15. NCCU scored to get within nine.

A Jelavic three gave UK a 29-17 lead, but the Eagles scored four in a row to get within eight. An Aberdeen basket made it 31-21 before NCCU scored to again get within eight.

A Moreno layup, an Oweh three, two Johnson free throws, another Moreno basket, a Noah three, a Noah dunk, and an Oweh layup comprised a 16-0 run that stretched the UK lead to 47-23. The Cats would lead 52-31 at the half, with Oweh leading all scorers with 12 points.

NCCU scored the first two points of the second half, but UK got a Moreno dunk and an Oweh layup to lead 56-33. After two Eagles’ free throws, Kentucky got layups from Aberdeen and Moreno to lead 60-35. NCCU would score before two Chandler free throws made it 62-37 Cats. However, the Eagles scored the next five points to cut the deficit to 20.

Oweh scored the next five points for the Cats as they took at 67-44 lead. For the second time in the game, Johnson made three consecutive free throws to build the advantage to 70-44.

Later in the second half, the Cats would extend the lead even further on a Chandler three that gave UK an 80-48 lead. NCCU would get back within 26 at 86-60 but the Eagles would get no closer.

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, hosting Indiana inside Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN.

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North Carolina

The ‘North Carolina Barbecue Trail’ Is A Mouthwatering Journey Through Old-School Smokehouses Steeped In Tradition – Islands

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

The ‘North Carolina Barbecue Trail’ Is A Mouthwatering Journey Through Old-School Smokehouses Steeped In Tradition – Islands

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One of the best parts of traveling is trying the region’s specialty foods, and if you’re visiting North Carolina, that means barbecue. There are two styles of barbecue in North Carolina, and both of them involve pork. The eastern style typically uses whole pigs (no ketchup) on an open pit that’s chopped thin and served with a vinegar sauce. Lexington style uses bone-in pork shoulder, a chunkier chop, and a thicker, sweeter vinegar sauce. You can experience both styles and choose your favorite on a food trail created by the North Carolina Barbecue Society, with iconic stops at traditional smokehouses scattered along the state.

The trail includes 15 restaurants and roadside shacks that have become institutions, each specializing in slow-roasted pork over charcoal and wood, and it’s best visited during summer and fall when several areas host barbecue festivals and events. Not only do trail-goers get to sample amazing barbecue, but they’ll experience some under-the-radar destinations that might have otherwise been missed. The trail includes North Carolina’s “barbecue capital,” a vibrant town full of character with about 15 dedicated barbecue restaurants, and is also home to an iconic barbecue festival, a massive event that takes place in October.

Highlights of the North Carolina Barbecue Trail

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The North Carolina Barbecue trail starts off in Ayden with the Skylight Inn, which uses eastern-style methods over wood coals, and earned a coveted James Beard “American Classics” award. Next, the trail heads to Greenville, home to one of America’s prettiest downtowns. The main attraction for foodies here is B’s barbecue, which is known for mouthwatering ribs. Get there early or they might run out! In Goldsboro, Wilbur’s Barbecue has a convenient drive-through and eastern-style ‘cue, plus it’s a great spot to grab some merchandise and souvenirs.

Heading to Dudley, Grady’s Barbecue might not look like much from the outside, but the little shack serves up a mean rack of ribs (cash-only). Another small town oozing with charm that the trail winds through is Shelby, sandwiched between Asheville and Charlotte with unique southern cuisine. Stop by the Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge for hickory-smoked pork sandwiches, or for something different, livermush is a local delicacy (pig liver, cornmeal, and seasonings) and is served at the Shelby Cafe (among other restaurants).

No barbecue trail would be complete without visiting Lexington, often considered North Carolina’s “gateway to BBQ,” which has a walkable downtown with several barbecue joints serving up “Lexington style” ‘cue (using the pork shoulder). The city’s oldest BBQ spot (that is still using pits) is the Lexington Bar-B-Q Center, which has been in operation since the 1950s and is another mouthwatering stop on the barbecue trail. Most people go for the vinegar-based pork served with the hush puppies and red slaw, but they have a variety of pit-cooked options.

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