NC State more than doubled up on UNC-Asheville 100-49 on Tuesday night at PNC Arena.
After a disorganized first half, the Pack’s 56-point second half was led by redshirt sophomore guard Devon Daniels, who had 14 points during that time. NC State (3-0) forced 24 turnovers and had 13 steals against the Bulldogs (1-1).
“The last game he forced a lot of things when you look at him,” head coach Kevin Keatts said on Daniels. “I thought he relaxed, I thought he was more comfortable tonight. I thought he played off his teammates and I’m happy for him.”
After a slow start from both teams, NC State opened the scoring with an alley-oop from junior guard Markell Johnson to senior guard Torin Dorn. The Pack led 7-0 at the 16-minute mark of the first half.
There was a scary moment early in the first half when Johnson went to the floor after getting hit in the head on a screen. Johnson was able to walk off unassisted but would not return to the game. He played four minutes and had 3 points.
“He’ll meet with the doctors and I’ll know more tomorrow,” Keatts said. “But I will tell you he was not diagnosed with a concussion.”
NC State never looked back after taking an early lead, mostly because of its solid defensive effort against the Bulldogs. UNC-Asheville turned the ball over 14 times in the first half and was held to only 22 points.
Offensively, the Pack played a sloppy half, shooting just 43 percent, and committing six turnovers itself. Dorn led all Pack players with 10 first-half points.
“I like where we are as a team,” Keatts said. “But I think we got to get better in a lot of areas obviously and that’s where we’re trying to improve game to game.”
In the second half, the NC State offense caught fire, shooting 64.7 percent from the field. Daniels led the Pack after the break, going 5-for-8 for 14 points, bringing his total to 18.
“The first two games I think I was overthinking it too much,” Daniels said. “But tonight I just focused on playing hard and I think that helped a lot.”
The Pack also got a huge boost from sophomore guard Braxton Beverly, who went 3-for-4 from behind the arc and finished with nine points and five assists in just 16 minutes. Dorn and redshirt junior guard C.J. Bryce had 13 points apiece.
“When you look at Braxton, his ability to make a three-point shot is just effective as us getting out in transition and getting a dunk,” Keatts said. “He excites the crowd and he gives energy to the team.”
Keatts spread the time tonight, showing this team’s ability to go to the bench as no player had more than 26 minutes and all players, excluding Johnson, played at least 16 minutes.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a team where you know everybody is almost equal,” Keatts said. “I may not have a starting five.”
NC State continues its seven-game home stand on Saturday at 2 p.m. when it faces Maine at PNC Arena.
