After Friday’s narrow victory over Georgia Southern, the NC State men’s basketball team put fans’ minds at ease in a resounding 86-61 victory in PNC Arena over the visiting Terriers from St. Francis College.
The Wolfpack (2-0, 0-0 ACC) played much better on both ends of the floor against the Terriers (0-1, 0-0 NEC). With five players scoring in double figures Sunday, the Pack distributed the ball well as it continues to improve on the season.
“Nice win for our team,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “I thought we got better today. We did some things better throughout the game. Obviously you want to win, but in that, you hope to improve upon some things.”
The team announced prior to tip-off that sophomore Maverick Rowan was suffering from concussion-like symptoms and would not be available for Sunday’s game. As a result, Gottfried elected to go with senior BeeJay Anya in his starting lineup in place of Rowan.
Friday’s sluggish play seemed to carry over into Sunday’s game as the Pack strolled out of the gate struggling from the field.
“Adversity, that’s what we pride ourselves on,” said redshirt sophomore Torin Dorn. “Being able to get through adversity.”
Things took a turn for the better as the Pack found its groove on both offense and defense in its second game of the season. The Terrier’s man-to-man defense was a timely reprieve from Georgia Southern’s full-court press and zone defense the Pack saw Friday as State moved the ball well and was patient in its half-court offense. That patience paid off for State’s shot selection as the Pack shot 58 percent from the floor on the day.
The adrenaline shot for the Pack came in the form of freshman Ted Kapita who made his debut against the Terriers after the NCAA ruled him eligible for the 2016-17 season. The freshman played well, scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds in his first five minutes of play.
“It feels great,” Kapita said of finally being able to play. “Throughout the process my coaches, my school and my family kept me humble … I persevered, took my time, prayed, work hard and work hard on my game. I knew everything was going to take care of itself.”
Freshman stud Dennis Smith Jr. played much better Sunday, scoring seven points in the first half, but continued to struggle from the floor hitting just two of his first six shots.
Heading into the half, the Wolfpack led the Terriers 42-31.
The Wolfpack’s 3-point shooting was non-existent in the first and that trend continued in the second half. The Terriers didn’t shoot much better, but they made enough 3-pointers to keep the game from getting out of hand.
Smith Jr.’s struggles continued as he picked up two quick fouls and had to head to the bench with just over 15 minutes to play in the half.
Kapita continued to be the anchor for the Wolfpack as he grabbed rebounds, made free throws and provided a much-needed energy for the Pack.
“I work so hard,” Kapita said. “I was patient for when my time comes to play. I went in there and did whatever I had to do to win.”
State did a nice job of closing out the Terriers down the stretch as it kept is defensive pressure and offensive tempo in high gear.
The Wolfpack struggled on the boards Friday night as it surrendered 20 offensive rebounds to Georgia Southern, and it continued Sunday as the Terriers grabbed 16. However, the Wolfpack dominated the Terriers down low on offense, scoring 52 points in the paint as St. Francis scored just 18.
Dorn led the Pack with a game-high 21 points of 9-of-11 shooting. Kapita followed close behind with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. Junior Abdul-Malik Abu scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
“I was happy for [Kapita],” Gottfried said. “He was anxious to play, obviously very excited to play and that was a good first night for Ted.”
The Wolfpack will travel to St. Thomas for the 2016 Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament as it takes on the Montana Grizzlies Friday.
