N.C. State’s offense went on a 20-7 run midway through the second half to help the Wolfpack defeat Campbell 81-66 on Saturday night at PNC Arena.
The Camels (2-1) trailed for most of the game, but used different defensive sets to keep the game close, coming within five points of the Wolfpack with 11:02 left in the game. But the Wolfpack’s (2-1) aggressive defense forced the Camels into a series of turnovers during its second half run, which State took advantage of on fast breaks.
“They threw a lot at us, and I thought our young guys adjusted pretty well and learned how to handle it,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “It’s hard for a young group sometimes to see that many different things, but it was a good game for us.”
“The way Campbell plays makes the game tricky. The backdoor cuts, the way they move the ball, the matchup zone defense, the 1-3-1 zone defense, if you haven’t seen that before in a game setting, it’s difficult.”
Sophomore forward T.J. Warren led the Wolfpack with 23 points and three steals. Warren highlighted State’s run with dunks on consecutive possessions, the second on a breakaway alley-oop from freshman forward Lennard Freeman.
“Our ability to step it up on defense helped us get some easy baskets,” Warren said. “We wanted to get out and run because that’s our style of play. We have a lot of finishers and playmakers.”
Freshman center Beejay Anya provided a solid defensive presence for the Wolfpack against the Camels. Anya logged 15 minutes on Saturday night, a career high for the Gaithersburg, Md. native. The freshman blocked three shots, grabbed four rebounds and scored four points, energizing the Pack and the PNC Arena crowd.
“BeeJay is going to be really good,” Gottfried said. “The question is how quickly can he get himself to where he can really play effectively for longer than two or three minutes…. He understands now that if he can keep shedding weight, it’s going to make him a more effective player.”
Anya, who said he has been losing weight to improve his conditioning, also said the coaching staff is starting to have more confidence in him.
“Playing as much as I did today shows me that Coach Gottfried is starting to put more trust in me,” Anya said. “He really thinks I can contribute so I’m excited.”
Anya helped State dominate the boards against the Camels. The Pack grabbed 37 total rebounds, 16 offensive, compared to the Camels’ 29. Sophomore guard Tyler Lewis led the Wolfpack in rebounds with eight. Lewis had a tough shooting night, going 3-11 from the floor, but dished out nine assists, something Gottfried said he takes notice of on a nightly basis.
“I love how he got nine assists and only one turnover,” Gottfried said. “A lot of guys in the country don’t do that, and so that’s not something I take for granted.”
State’s starters got in foul trouble early, with junior guards Ralston Turner and Desmond Lee picking up two fouls in the first 10 minutes. Warren joined them in foul trouble soon after, but Anya and the Wolfpack stepped up to keep the Camels’ offense in check.
Gottfried said the fouls gave his team an opportunity to work on its aggressive zone defense.
“I thought we learned how to play with our zone defense without fouling,” Gottfried said. “That was good for our guys to learn how to stay aggressive and not foul. But once we got to the second half, the foul trouble really went away.”
