Nicholas Faulkner
Sophomore guard Markell Johnson goes up for a quick layup. Johnson had ten points and a team high seven assists during the 86-68 win over Presbyterian College on Thursday, Nov. 16 in PNC Arena.
After a South Carolina State player collapsed near the team’s bench and required medical attention, the NC State men’s basketball team vanquished the Bulldogs’ effort, winning 103-71.
The Bulldogs’ (1-7) guard Tyvoris Solomon collapsed at the 13:08 mark in the first quarter near the team’s bench area with the Pack (7-2) leading 22-5. Medical personnel and coaches attended to Solomon, including CPR and an automated external defibrillator, and stabilized him. After roughly 30 minutes of further medical attention, Solomon was then transported to Rex Hospital in Raleigh where he was responsive and conscious.
“Obviously we had a scary moment today,” head coach Kevin Keatts said. “Very thankful that our EMS did a great job. Our doctors, our trainers, South Carolina State trainers did a great job. It’s a tough moment. Any time you’re playing a basketball game and you look down and one of the other players is on the floor; I’m happy to hear the young man is doing better.”
Before PNC Arena realized Solomon’s condition, sophomore guard Markell Johnson limped toward the NC State bench to due a knee injury. Unable to put weight on the injured knee, assistants helped Johnson off the court and into the locker room.
However, the injury looked worse than it really was as Johnson returned to the court when play resumed at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs voted to continue the contest after hearing that Solomon was in good condition. When the team returned to the hardwood, PNC Arena erupted in applause and welcomed them back to the court.
After starting its matchup against Penn State on Wednesday down 11-0, NC State jumped out to a 15-0 lead over South Carolina State.
“We were really focused on getting off to a fast start because last game we went down 11-0,” redshirt junior guard Torin Dorn said. “That was a big emphasis for us, getting off to a good start.”
Ball movement was key in the Pack’s dominance. The Wolfpack recorded a season-high and PNC record in assists with 31, beating the previous season-high of 18 against VMI in the season opener.
Johnson dished out a career-high 12 assists, the eighth time this season he has led the team, and freshman guard Braxton Beverly chipped in nine assists and 9 points for good measure.
Beverly missed the two first games of the season before the NCAA ruled him eligible for the 2017-18 season, and he stumbled in his minutes against Bryant and Presbyterian, shooting 1-for-9 from the field. Since then, he has found his footing, scoring 20 minutes against then-No. 2 Arizona on Nov. 22, and nearly recording his first career double-double on Saturday.
“I think [Beverly]’s struggles were because he hadn’t played basketball,” Keatts said. “As you guys know, it’s a tough deal. I put him on the court two hours after he found out that he was going to be eligible by the NCAA. Anytime you get a chance to play in the games, you can’t simulate that in practice and I think he’s starting to play good basketball.”
Dorn achieved the double-double though, the fifth one of his career with 16 points and 10 rebounds. In a four-guard scheme, Dorn has often found himself positionless, but he has still cleaned up the glass nicely this season, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game.
“Man, I’m happy with [Dorn],” Keatts said. “I’ve challenged him. When you’re playing small basketball especially when you’ve got a guy like him playing the big guard or power forward spot, for him to be able to rebound the basketball the way he is, he’s doing a great job there.”
Out of all the players on the Wolfpack, the most exciting development has been sophomore center Omer Yurtseven’s game.
The Turkish center had a career-high 19 points in his most recent outing on Wednesday against Penn State, and registered another efficient outing versus the Bulldogs.
Yurtseven scored 17 points, shooting 8-for-9 from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds in just 17 minutes of action.
“[Yurtseven]’s getting better,” Keatts said. “I told you guys before, Omer is a student of the game and he’s starting to listen more and he’s understanding how to score and he’s understanding how to stay on the floor and I was very happy with him.”
The Wolfpack handled South Carolina State and has a week off for final exams before returning to action Saturday in an energized Reynolds Coliseum against the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
“We’re definitely always excited for the Reynolds game,” Dorn said. “That’s a big game for us. We are just going to get rest and get our bodies healthy, focus on exams and get back in the gym and get prepared for that game.”