N.C . State opened up the season with an 84-75 win over UNC-Asheville at the RBC Center on Friday.
The game began amidst Veteran’s Day fanfare and the Pack didn’t disappoint. Earlier the Pack was rocked with stunning revelations about sophomore forward C.J . Leslie after it was determined following a joint University and NCAA investigation that Leslie had received impermissible benefits totaling $410.
But that didn’t seem to have an effect on the court as sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown drew first blood and went on a scoring drive that saw him score nine points and snag two steals in just a little more than four minutes that culminated in a 10-0 run for the Pack.
The Bulldogs did not sit and watch as they scored six unanswered points and looked set to get back into the game but that was not to be as junior forward Richard Howell showed a lot of intensity to get to the basket and in the process drawing a foul and showed a lot of poise to complete the three-point play from the free throw line.
After a State timeout, the players looked much rejuvenated and kept on creating chance after chance and redshirt senior guard Alex Johnson was one of the standout players. Johnson highlighted his never-say-die attitude by running down the entire court to strip the ball off of a Bulldog player after the same player had taken the ball from him earlier while he was about to shoot.
Asheville, who had Big South pre-season player of the year Matt Dickey on their roster, could have been down by more but some poor shooting and presence by the Pack from Howell, Johnson and Brown meant State went into the locker room at half time holding a 44-27 lead.
Asheville started the second half on a strong note with 14-4 run, which included three shots from downtown as the Pack struggled to get a tight grip over the game. However, the introduction of junior center Jordan Vandenberg and point guard Scott Wood became the right injection of energy the Pack needed as they not only helped stop the fall but also combined to lead a seven-point run.
The game also proved to be the debut for freshman forward Tyler Harris, who came off the bench and scored from downtown after barely seconds of his arrival on the court and ended the game with 10 points and one assist in just seven minutes.
Asheville tried its best to get back into the game from there on but the best they could do was cut down the lead to nine points after a couple of high-flying dunks by C.J . Williams and DeShawn Painter ensured the crowd was on its feet in the dying seconds as the Pack held on for the win.
State returns to action against Morehead State on Sunday Nov. 13 at the RBC Center at 6p.m . in its first televised game of the season.
