The NC State men’s basketball team took down Montana 85-72 in the first round of the Paradise Jam basketball tournament on Friday in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Wolfpack (3-0) got off to a lethargic start, while having to play without sophomore guard Maverick Rowan, freshman forward Ted Kapita and freshman center Omer Yurtseven. This lack of size was an apparent disadvantage for NC State, as it got out-rebounded by a much smaller Montana team 14-10 in the first half. The Grizzlies were also able to score at-will on the Pack’s almost nonexistent first-half defense, as they shot 57.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line. On the offensive side of things, the Wolfpack attempted seven 3-pointers, but hit just one.
All these factors collectively made for a sloppy first-half display for NC State, and the Pack saw itself trailing 40-38 at the break. Junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu and redshirt sophomore guard Torin Dorn led the team in scoring in the first half, each notching 10 points.
State finally put the pieces together late in the second half, and broke out a double-digit lead at the 8:23 mark of the second half on a score by Abu. The bouncy big man had a career-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds. Abu exploited the Grizzlies’ lack of strength and physicality as he had his way in the paint, playing a big factor in the Wolfpack’s win. The junior stud’s most notable bucket came with 44 seconds left, when the game was all-but-over, on a windmill dunk that ignited the crowd.
Freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. also had a better second half and broke out of his shooting slump. The highly-regarded floor general had 15 of his 21 total points in the second half of play. Smith shot the ball better than his previous two outings, as he went 6 of 12 from the field and hit his first two 3-pointers of the season.
Although bench scoring was not a big factor with a smaller rotation, one notable scorer from the bench was freshman guard Markell Johnson. Johnson provided a spark for the Wolfpack and team seemed to feed off his energy. The guard played stellar defense, accounting for a total of four steals, many leading to easy transition points for NC State. Johnson also gave Smith necessary breaks, and filled his role more than sufficiently. The freshman point guard tallied nine points and six assists on the night.
Overall, while it started the game with a lackluster effort, the Wolfpack finally got its act together late in the game and took down a very under-matched Montana team. It will be interesting to see how the team fares against higher level competition. NC State will face the winner of No. 22 Creighton and Washington State on Sunday in the second round of the Paradise Jam.
