The NC State men’s basketball team defeated Queens University on Saturday, 78-47, behind a 48-point second half. The matchup was the Wolfpack’s final exhibition before the beginning of the regular season on Friday.
The first half was not a pretty one, as over two and a half minutes passed before either team was able to score.
State was abysmal from the field in the first half, shooting only 28.6 percent, including a two-for-seven clip from beyond the arc. Head coach Mark Gottfried said that his team’s struggle in the first half was a lesson for his young players.
“It was a good challenge for our guys,” Gottfried said. “We started the game off and it somewhat seemed like we had some jitters, but hopefully we get that out of the way and get ready for next Friday night.”
The Pack starters did not make much of an impact early in the contest, scoring only eight of the team’s 30 first-half points. Redshirt junior guard Trevor Lacey and redshirt senior Ralston Turnerscored nothing through the first 20 minutes. Lacey was visibly frustrated on the court after missing six straight shots to start the game.
“My role on this team is to come out with energy and set the tone,” Lacey said. “I let my offense frustrate me; shots that I make all the time were in and out.”
Instead, freshman forward Caleb Martin made his presence felt for the Pack as soon as he took the floor five minutes into the game. The Mocksville native racked up 10 points on 4-6 shooting in the opening half.
“He played confident, like he always does,” freshman forward Abdul-Malik Abu said. “I rode on his confidence.”
Martin ended the night as the Pack’s leading scorer with 16 points in just 19 minutes of play. The freshman also recorded three steals and sank four of his six attempts from long range.
Abu also had an impressive showing on Saturday, recording 14 points and five boards off the bench. The big man showed great skill with his back to the basket, demanding the ball in the post and making use of his 6-foot-8, 240-pound frame to bully the smaller forwards on the Queens roster.
Despite conceding the lead to Queens late in the first half, the Pack used a few big plays to boost itself to a 30-28 lead heading into halftime. Lacey said the first half was not representative of his team’s true skill.
“We didn’t come out struggling, we just came out flat,” Lacey said. “We missed a lot of shots that we should have made; we were just going through the motions, and you can’t play any game like that.”
As bad as State was in the first half, the team played outstanding basketball in the second. The Pack scored 20 straight points before allowing Queens to record its first points of the closing half.
“I thought in the second half we were a lot quicker,” Gottfried said. “We got in the passing lanes, we defended them pretty well, and we turned a lot of those opportunities into fast breaks.”
The Pack bench continued its dominant play in the closing half, and the State reserves finished the game with 50 of the team’s 79 total points. Gottfried attributed the team’s second half revival to his role players and said that no one’s starting spot is safe.
“We think here in November that we know who should start, but that could change,” Gottfried said. “We had some guys coming off the bench that are hungry. They’re coming, and they’re pretty good. It’ll take a while to figure out who should start.”
