Shakeel Moore is a tough guard who has built his reputation on the AAU circuit as a bulldog defender.
No matter what he does for the rest of his NC State career, the Greensboro freshman will be remembered for great performance and performance in a 79-76 victory over No. 17 in North Carolina on Tuesday.
UNC (5-3, 0-1 ACC) had two chances in the last 10 seconds to equalize the game, but 3 points from RJ Davis and Caleb Love were each off the mark.
Moore, who averaged 5.2 points in his first five college games, scored 17 points to help Wolfpack (5-1, 1-0) break a 7-game losing streak at home to Tar heels.
“It was great just for the first ACC game,” Moore said. “He is our rival. It was great for me to intensify, to get the minutes and to appear ”.
It was Moore’s grave, at 10:28 in the second half, that Wolfpack fans will “like” and “retweet” on social media and in their own memory rolls.
“Shak is a monster and he still gets his feet wet,” senior guard Devon Daniels said in the post-game. “The biggest thing with our freshmen is that they’re not afraid.”
Moore, who is 6-1, led the baseline around UNC striker Garrison Brooks and then was lifted to sink UNC freshman Walker Kessler, who is 7-1.
Moore, who hit the first three triples, said his early success with the jumper prepared Brooks for the move.
“I just realized that a simple fake pump breaks the baseline and I could get that and show my athleticism there,” Moore said.
Daniels added 21 points for Wolfpack, who led by up to 17 points in the first half, with Moore coming out for 13 before the break. Striker Manny Bates added 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.
Before Daniels sat down at the Zoom press conference after the game, he said, “Finally, I have those guys!”
The last victory from NC State at Tar Heels was in 2013.
“I’m so happy,” Daniels said. “Even during the game. We could feel the growth with our team. It was a whole victory for the team.”
NC State made just 11 of 20 from the free throw line to keep the door open late for Tar Heels, who were led by second striker Armando Bacot (16 points).
The young UNC guards had trouble handling the ball this season, and Tar Heels started slowly.
Both stories continued for UNC, who turned the ball around seven times in the first 12 minutes, while Wolfpack jumped 32-19 in the lead.
NC State was supported by a performance of 66.7% (6 out of 9) from the 3-point line.
Bacot helped the Heels quickly reduce the state’s margin before the end of the half. It was 49-42 until the break, and the heels followed 53-51 and 57-55 and 59-57.
However, after dominating NC State in a pair of victories last season, senior striker Garrison Brooks fought from the floor (5 of 14) and managed only 10 points.
State rose 59-57 when Moore exploded for a dunk that would have lit up what would have been a PNC Arena sold-out. Instead, his scream echoed throughout the empty building.
NC State shot 13, 77-64, after a stretch by goalkeeper Thomas Allen at 5:13. And then UNC started to escape. Heels made it 77-73 with 1:03 left before Daniels made a pair of free throws.
Braxton Beverly and Daniels then missed four consecutive free throws in the last minute, but UNC could not take advantage.
“We leaned a little, but we never broke up,” said NC State coach Kevin Keatts.
Notes: Freshman goalkeeper Cam Hayes missed the previous two games due to COVID-19 protocols. He added seven points in 11 minutes. … Striker DJ Funderburk missed the third game in a row due to COVID protocols. … NC State improved to 5-32 against Roy Williams, while Keatts, in his fourth year, has a 2-5 record against Williams.