C.J. Leslie and Scott Wood each scored 14 points and North Carolina State closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 78-44 thumping of visiting Delaware State on Wednesday.

Richard Howell added 12 points and 12 rebounds for North Carolina State (11-4), which has won five straight and improved to 25-0 against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Wolfpack had to sweat out a 72-70 win over Delaware State (4-9) last season, but it put away the Hornets early with a 33-6 run that bridged the first and second halves.

Freshman Tahj Tate scored 14 points on 5 of 20 shooting in his return from a four-game suspension for Delaware State. The Hornets, who were without point guard Jay Threatt (ankle) for a second straight game, shot 29 (18-of-61) percent en route to their sixth straight loss.

After a sluggish start, North Carolina closed the half on a 22-0 run and carried a commanding 42-18 lead into the locker room. The highlight of the impressive stretch came when Leslie intercepted an errant pass, raced down the court and thrilled the crowd by flushing home a lob from himself.

The Hornets shot just 23 percent (8-of-34) and were outrebounded 30-13 in the first half.

The Wolfpack picked up where it left off in the second half. North Carolina State hit five of its first six shots and took a 53-24 lead on a3-pointer from Wood. The lead grew to as many as 37 points.