RALEIGH, N.C. — In an exciting matchup on Wednesday night, Jayden Taylor led NC State to an 82-70 victory over Coastal Carolina, contributing 22 points to the win.

The Wolfpack entered the second half with a narrow two-point lead but quickly established dominance by scoring the first 10 points of the half, extending their lead to 45-33. Although the Chanticleers, propelled by a layup from Noah Amenhauser, closed the gap to 62-51 midway through the period, NC State maintained at least a 10-point lead for the rest of the game.

NC State’s largest advantage was 17 points, which came after consecutive jump shots from Dontrez Styles with about three minutes remaining on the clock.

During the first half, Jayden Taylor energized the Wolfpack with a three-point play that pushed their lead to 29-21 with just 3.5 minutes left. However, Coastal Carolina fought back, executing a 12-6 run to narrow the score to 35-33 by halftime.

In support of Taylor, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield hit 9 of 10 free throws and contributed 13 points for NC State, which improved to a perfect record of 3-0. Styles added 10 points, while Trey Parker came off the bench to score 13.

On the other side, RaSheed Jones was the standout for Coastal Carolina, tallying 17 points, supported by Jordan Battle and Denzel Hines, who both finished with 14 points.

Statistically, NC State demonstrated impressive efficiency, shooting 57% on their two-point attempts and scoring 42 points in the paint, despite missing all 10 of their three-point shots. They also had a strong performance at the foul line, converting 28 of 35 attempts. Coastal Carolina had a successful night at the line as well, making 19 of their 20 free throw attempts.