The N.C. State men’s basketball team defeated Campbell on Saturday night by a score of 81-66. The contest was the first of seven straight home games for the Wolfpack.
The Pack jumped out to a big lead at the beginning of the game. State never fell behind in the remainder of the contest
Junior guard Ralston Turner played an instrumental role in State’s hot start. After picking up two fouls less than three minutes into the game, Turner made all three of his shots from the field after returning to the game later in the quarter.
The Wolfpack got in foul trouble early against the Fighting Camels. Turner, junior guard Desmond Lee and sophomore forward T.J. Warren all picked up two fouls in the first half, prompting head coach Mark Gottfried to switch to a zone defense for chunks of the game.
State continued its impressive play through the end of the first half, cruising to a 10-point lead at halftime. But Campbell put together a 16-8 run to start the second half, bringing the score within five points with 11:26 remaining in the contest.
Three-point shooting was a key component of Campbell’s offense. The Camels made eight of their 19 shots from long range. Sophomore guard Jake Moyer sank all three of his shots from deep, finishing with 11 points.
State responded with a run of its own. The Pack hit a 20-7 run, highlighted by an alley-oop from freshman forward Lennard Freeman to Warren. Freeman snagged five offense rebounds on the night, while Warren finished the game with a team-high 23 points.
Freshman forward BeeJay Anya earned significant playing time on Saturday night thanks to his efforts on both ends of the floor. With 12:46 left in the first half, Anya recorded a huge block and followed it up with a put-back dunk on the following possession. Anya played for a total of 15 minutes, finishing the game with four points and three blocks.
Another bright spot for the Pack was the stellar play of freshman guard Anthony Barber. Barber played with composure against the Camels, finishing the night with 11 points on 5-8 shooting and only two turnovers.
Barber’s counterpart, sophomore guard Tyler Lewis, had a tough night from the field, but led State in both assists and rebounds, with nine and eight respectively.
