David Tracey
Junior guard Markell Johnson attacks the rim for a dunk on Saturday, Nov. 24 at PNC Arena. Johnson scored 16 points on 6-10 shooting as the Wolfpack beat Mercer 78-74.
The NC State men’s basketball team defeated Vanderbilt 80-65 in American Airlines Stadium in Miami for the Air Force Reserve Hoophall Miami Invitational Saturday evening.
The Wolfpack (7-1) needed a late run in both halves to hang on for the double-digit victory over the Commodores (5-2). Junior point guard Markell Johnson scored 15 of NC State’s last 20 points to help fend off a late push from Vanderbilt. Johnson finished with a team-high 19 points, and also had seven assists and six rebounds. The victory marked the 100th of NC State head coach Kevin Keatts’ career.
After scoring just 10 points in Tuesday night’s 79-75 loss to Wisconsin, the Wolfpack bench knew it would need greater production in order to beat tougher competition. The bench did just that against Vanderbilt, scoring 37 points to help propel the offense to an 80 point performance.
Redshirt sophomore forward DJ Funderburk led the bench in scoring with a season-high 16 points. After graduate senior and starter Wyatt Walker picked up two fouls early in the game, Funderburk provided quality minutes, scoring all 16 of his points in the first half.
NC State took an early 4-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game and retained the lead throughout the first half. At the 13:42 mark, Johnson threw an alley-oop pass to Funderburk for a slam dunk, punctuating an early 9-2 run for the Pack to give it a 17-9 lead.
The Commodores enjoyed a momentum swing in its favor when the lead shrunk to 36-32 with 5:34 left in the first. However, Vanderbilt would end up making just one of their last six field goal attempts in the half.
A few late turnovers and missed shots for Vanderbilt converted into a 10-2 Wolfpack run to end the opening half. NC State held a 46-34 lead at the half, its largest lead to that point.
The Pack started slow in the second half, allowing Vanderbilt to linger in the game. A 6-0 Vanderbilt run cut the lead in half out of the gate, but the Pack continued to make shots to keep the lead.
Vanderbilt guard Saben Lee sank a mid-range jumper with 8:31 left to bring the Commodores within two points, shrinking the Wolfpack lead to 60-58.
Johnson would score the next 12 points for the Pack, executing a 12-3 run on his own and extending NC State’s lead to 72-61 with just over four minutes remaining. The Wolfpack made crucial shots and offensive rebounds in the final minutes, allowing it to drain out the clock and hang on for the victory.
NC State outshot Vanderbilt, shooting 46.9 percent from the field compared to 39.3. The Wolfpack was efficient enough from the perimeter, shooting 5 for 15 on the night. The Pack also held Vanderbilt to just 13.6 percent on the night from 3-point range.
NC State’s next game will be against the Western Carolina Catamounts Wednesday for the Heritage Classic in Reynolds Coliseum with a 7 p.m. tip-off.