RALEIGH, N.C. -- A big effort from senior captain V.J. Beachem kept No. 25 Notre Dame rolling on Saturday against North Carolina State.

Beachem scored a game-high 27 points as the Irish ran their Atlantic Coast Conference win streak to four with an 81-72 victory at PNC Arena.

"I was in a good rhythm coming out of the gates and was able to keep it going," Beachem said. "The guys were finding me and I was stepping up and shooting them."

The Fighting Irish improved to 21-7 overall 10-5 in the ACC. It marks the third straight season that Notre Dame has hit double-digit league victories in its fourth year in the ACC.

Dennis Smith Jr. led N.C. State (14-14, 3-12) with 16 points. Booed during pre-game introductions earlier in the week, Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried was cheered on Saturday.

"We're disappointed," Gottfried said. "We're not into moral victories but I saw some fight today. I liked it. I saw some fight and spirit. We got a little of that back."

On Thursday, North Carolina State athletic director Debbi Yow announced Gottfried would not return for his seventh season. He wants to stay on through the end of the season, whenever that comes.

"It's been a tough couple of days," Gottfried said. "It's not an easy thing. It's difficult."

Although Saturday game was only the second of Beachem's career at PNC, he insisted it's his favorite arena to shoot in. Something about the background and the lighting and the ultra-soft rims appeal to him. His seven 3-pointers were the most ever for an Irish player in an ACC game.

Beachem's corner 3-pointer when the Irish were dying for a basket helped Notre Dame bump its lead back to 14 points with 3:40 remaining.

"It was big for us to stretch that lead out," Beachem said. "The guys just did a great job of finding me and I was able to knock it down."

The leading free throw shooting team in the country, Notre Dame then closed it out by going 6 of 7 from the foul line in the final 55.8 seconds

The Irish led by as many as 23 points following Beachem's wing 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 14 minutes remaining. They led by 13 with a little more than four minutes to go following a 3-point play by Bonzie Colson.

Notre Dame shot 59.3 percent from the field in the first half and led by as many as 15 points following a late 9-0 run. The Irish were up 13 at the break. It was their largest halftime margin of the year in ACC play.

"I'm thrilled with how we got out of the gate and built the lead," Irish coach Mike Brey. "I'm proud we were poised enough to hold them off."

NOTES: Both teams started lineups Saturday featuring four guards. ... Wolfpack G Dennis Smith Jr. entered Saturday's game leading the league in assists (6.7). He's trying to become the first North Carolina State player to lead the ACC in assists in a season. ... Smith is the fourth player in league history to record multiple triple-doubles in a season. He has two. ... Former State standouts Cat Barber and C.J. Leslie took in Saturday's game from the front row of VIP floor seats. ... Picked in the preseason to finish as high as third in the ACC, N.C. State entered the weekend in 14th place. ... The Wolfpack are 0-5 all-time at home against Notre Dame. ... Irish PF Bonzie Colson earned player of the week honors earlier in the week, including ACC and USBWA, after averaging 30 points and 14.5 rebounds in two wins. ... Irish sophomore G Rex Pflueger made his second straight start and third of the season Saturday. It marked the first time the Irish have used the same starting lineup in consecutive games since Jan. 28 and Jan. 30 in losses to Georgia Tech and Duke.