Photo by Ryan Parry
Freshman guard Rodney Purvis attempts a layup over Cleveland State's Devon Long.
N.C. State improved to 6-2 overall on the season with an 80-63 win over the Cleveland State Vikings at a sold-out Reynolds Coliseum Saturday, Dec. 8.
This was N.C. State’s 780th game in Reynolds Coliseum and the Pack has been victorious 603 times, for a 77.3 winning percentage.
“It is definitely different than playing in the PNC Arena”, senior forward Richard Howell said. “I kind of like it more just because everyone is more on top of you. The crowd is right there. The crowd is more involved with the game.”
Five players scored in double-figures for the Pack. State was led by junior forward Calvin Leslie with 19 points and eight rebounds. Howell added 17 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth straight double-double. Howell, who entered the game ranked No. 4 nationally in field goal percentage, connected on 7 of 11 shots against the Vikings.
Freshman forward T.J. Warren, playing his first game in the same arena his father Tony played in under former head coach Norm Sloan, was sensational off the bench. The freshman from Durham scored 16 points along with two blocked shots.
“I felt we played a very unselfish game”, N.C. State head coach Mark Gottfried said. “And for us, we just have to keep getting better.”
“This is a very talented offensive team we faced.” Cleveland State head coach Gary Waters said. “Their offensive talent is going to allow them to win a lot of games.”
The Pack started off sluggish, trailing the Vikings 11-10 at the 16-minute media timeout in the first half. After the break, Leslie converted a layup and was fouled on the play. State never trailed again, leading 47-32 at halftime.
Cleveland State made a surge in the second half, cutting the deficit to 10 with less than 13 minutes remaining. A pair of layups by junior guard Lorenzo Brown, including one with a dazzling behind-the-back move, increased the cushion and N.C. State was never seriously threatened again.
Gottfried was impressed with the resolve of Cleveland State.
“I think Cleveland State is going to win a lot of games this year,” Gottfried said. “We try to schedule teams that are going to win a lot of games, and I think they are one of them.”
The Wolfpack shot 55 percent from the floor for the game and knocked down 78 percent from the free-throw line.
Charlie Lee led Cleveland State (6-3) with 15 points. The Pack held the Vikings to 44 percent shooting from the floor and forced 18 turnovers on the afternoon.
The Pack will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 15 at PNC Arena against Norfolk State and it will be telecasted on ESPN3.