North Carolina State guard Markell Johnson, who missed the first meeting with Wake Forest, poured in 25 points as the host Wolfpack avenged a loss by winning 94-74 on Sunday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

Freshman Jericole Hellems scored 12 of his 14 points off the bench in the second half for NC State (20-8, 8-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), which has won four of its last five games as its solidifies its NCAA Tournament credentials.

Johnson was injured for the first matchup with Wake Forest, which won 71-67 in Winston-Salem. Sunday night marked Johnson's largest point total in nine games since returning from an early January injury. He made 6 3-point baskets.

Jaylen Hoard scored 17 points for the Demon Deacons before fouling out with 2:02 to play, Brandon Childress added 15 points, and Chaundee Brown had 12 points for Wake Forest (10-16, 3-11), which is guaranteed to finish the regular season with a losing record for the second year in a row.

Wake Forest played without center Olivier Sarr, who started the previous nine games, because of an ankle injury.

A series of NC State baskets in transition resulted in a 10-0 run and a 56-41 lead with 14:05 to play. The Wolfpack ended up with its largest margin of victory in an ACC game this season.

Hellems reached a double-digit point total for the first time in ACC play. Teammate Torin Dorn posted 11 of his 13 points in the second half and Devon Daniels had 10 points.

NC State led 41-32 at halftime, bolstered by Johnson's 19 points and 11 points from its reserves.

NC State scored the game's first nine points. Wake Forest was later within 18-17.

The Wolfpack rebuilt the edge to 25-17 as Johnson was 3-for-3 on 3s with 11 points in the first 12 minutes.

Wake Forest, which won Tuesday night at Notre Dame, was aiming for consecutive ACC road wins for the first time since 2009. The Demon Deacons were also trying to sweep the regular-season series from NC State for the second time in three seasons.

--Field Level Media