Tuesday night at Reynolds Coliseum, NC State paid homage to the 1974 and 1983 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship teams by celebrating 70s/80s night. Perhaps poetically, the current iteration of the basketball team paid tribute by dominating Alcorn State 87-64.
“I thought we played good in stretches,” said NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. “We got going in the second half. We had a great spurt where we made some shots.”
Redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels was the star of the night for the Wolfpack (4-1) off the bench. The Utah transfer in his second year with NC State had a career-high 23 points on 9 for 13 shooting with five rebounds.
“As a team overall, we’re getting better, both mentally and in coming together,” said sophomore forward Jericole Hellems.
Senior guard Markell Johnson had his best game of the season offensively. He had a season-high 16 points and also created well for his teammates, dishing out eight assists.
“It was good to see Markell Johnson score 16 points,” Keatts said. “I thought he felt a little bit better, a little bit more comfortable shooting the basketball.”
NC State set the tone in the opening seconds with a corner 3-pointer from junior guard Braxton Beverly on its first possession. After a three-minute lull in scoring, the Wolfpack’s next six points all came from behind the arc, as graduate forward Pat Andree and redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels each came off the bench and made instant impacts offensively to give NC State a 9-0 lead.
Johnson found his offensive rhythm that had been missing in previous games early on, as he scored six straight points on three consecutive possessions to push the lead to 15-5.
“When [Markell Johnson’s] playing like that, it makes it easier for everybody,” Daniels said.
The Pack’s defensive pressure forced nine turnovers, resulting in 14 points in the first half, including a nice hustle play from Daniels that would lead to a 3-point play inside and a breakaway steal from redshirt junior DJ Funderburk, leading to an easy slam.
With redshirt freshman center Manny Bates in foul trouble much of the first half, Funderburk imposed his will inside, with six points and four rebounds in 10 minutes of action, and affected many Alcorn State (1-4) shots with his 6-foot-10 length.
Keatts elected to go small, playing Hellems at the center position for most of the final eight minutes, a decision that ended up hurting NC State. The 20-point lead the Wolfpack had developed was squandered due to a 16-8 scoring run from the Braves, all of which was when Bates and Funderburk were on the bench, cutting the lead to 44-32 at halftime.
Alcorn State ended the half making six of its last eight field goals, while NC State converted on only two of its last eight.
Similar to the beginning of the first half, the second half began with a Beverly corner 3-pointer on the opening possession. Back in the game, Bates made his presence known immediately with a block on one end and a put-back layup on the other in the opening minutes. It was the highlight of a 13-4 State run to begin the half, restoring the Pack’s lead to 21.
Daniels continued to work his way to the basket easily for NC State, getting layup after layup inside. It was indicative of the way the Pack played, outscoring Alcorn State in the paint 42-20.
“Devon was really good tonight,” Keatts said. “He was aggressive, he made shots, he mixed his game up, and then you didn’t get a chance to see, I thought he was very solid on the defensive end. But he’s a good player, and he’s starting to buy in and understand what I’m looking for.”
Andree showcased his ability from behind the arc with a rare made 3-pointer while being fouled, sending the crowd in Reynolds wild. It was his third of the game, which was a team high. Bates got in on the fun as well with a towering two-handed dunk off an assist from Daniels.
In 15 minutes of action, Bates finished with four points, six rebounds and three blocks, and he continued to shine as a fan favorite in his first season with the Wolfpack.
Daniels added the finishing touches on a dominant performance, scoring like he’d done all game with a layup in the last minute of the second half to reach his career high in scoring at NC State.
“That was one of our keys to win the game, along with attacking the zone in transition,” Daniels said. “I think we executed that pretty well.”
NC State will be back in action Saturday at PNC Arena for a nonconference matchup against Arkansas Little Rock. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra.
Senior guard Markell Johnson shoots a three pointer against Alcorn State at Reynolds Coliseum on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. NC State beat Alcorn State 87-64.
