Wolfpack whips Colonels

Sophomore forward T.J. Warren scored 30 points for the second consecutive game on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky, helping N.C. State power past the Colonels, 75-56. Warren became the first N.C. State player since Rodney Monroe in 1990-1991 to score 30 points in consecutive games.

The sophomore also recorded 11 rebounds, a season high, to notch his fourth career double-double with the Wolfpack (4-2). After a quiet first 20 minutes, Warren scored 26 of his 30 points in the second half to power the Pack to its second straight win.

The Colonels (6-2) kept the game close throughout, but with the Wolfpack up 54-51 with 5:35 left, State hit a 17-0 run to put the game out of reach. Junior guard Ralston Turner highlighted the run with a slam-dunk off a behind-the-back pass from junior guard Desmond Lee. Lee had a solid all-around game, scoring five points, six rebounds and five assists.

State shot 65 percent from the field in the second half to help it pull away late in the game. The Pack also out rebounded the Colonels, 44-29, and used its size to outscore Eastern Kentucky 44-24 in the paint.

Senior center Jordan Vandenberg was a force on the blocks on Saturday. In his second game back from an ankle injury, the 7’1” Australian shot 7-9 against the Colonels on the way to 14 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes of action. 

Freshman guard Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber also played well for State. Barber, starting his second straight game, scored 12 points and dished out five assists. Sophomore guard Tyler Lewis scored six points and had one assist in 11 minutes of play. 

State went into halftime down 27-21 after the Colonels used their 2-3 zone to stifle the Pack’s offense. But head coach Mark Gottfried’s squad came out of the break aggressively, scoring nine of the second half’s first 11 points to pull ahead.

The game went back-and-forth before the Pack solidified its lead, closing the game out on a 25-6 run.