Game Summary:
NC State played their best half of the season from the tip. Presbyterian scored the first bucket, the teams traded a couple of buckets, and then the Wolfpack took over. By the 10-minute mark the score was 24-11 and the Blue Hose got no closer than 10 points. Halftime lead, 46-19. How dominant was the Pack defense in the first half?
- Presbyterian shot 25% / 0% / 58%
- Presbyterian had 10 turnovers
- NC State had 16 points off those turnovers
You always worry about a letdown in the second half when you have a big lead, and this game was no exception. The Blue Hose came out of the half hot and scored
10 straight. Coach Gainey called a timeout at the 16:30 mark to point out that the half had started, and the Wolfpack should join the fun.
After the Blue Hose hit a three to stretch their run to 13-0, my favorite player lately hit a 3PT, got a steal, and then hit another 3PT. Christian Hammond to the rescue again. The game was over at that point. The Wolfpack slowly pushed the lead out to as much as 36, and to their credit played hard the rest of the way. Final score, Wolfpack 94-60.
Overall Takeaways:
- The Pack had their best rebounding game of the season against an undersized Presbyterian team. 20 offensive rebounds is huge.
- NC State had 9 turnovers in the first half against ETSU, they finished with 9 for the games
- Despite two of our best 3PT shooters (McNeil and Edmead) being 3-14, the team still shot 37% and made 10
Coach Gainey Post Game Comments
Individual Highlights
- Coach Gainey confirmed that Shah Hall is injured, “… we hope to have him back soon”
- Ven Lubin led the scoring with 21 pts, he also had 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.
- Paul McNeil led the rebounding with 12. His shot wasn’t falling, but he still impacted the game with 12 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a block.
- Preston Edmead led assists with 6.
- Christian Hammond led steals with 4, and had another excellent game with 13 pts, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
- Darius Adams redeemed himself after a poor showing against ETSU with 12 pts, 6 reb, 5 assists and a steal. He had only 1 turnover.
Player Stats and Box Score
Box Score
