Things are finally coming together for the NC State men’s Basketball team. In the second game at full strength, team chemistry was evident in the Wolfpack’s 99-78 victory over the Fairfield Stags.
Both the Wolfpack and the Stags came out of the gate running. Redshirt senior guard Terry Henderson was dialed in early on, and was 4 for 4 from beyond the arc just seven minutes into the ballgame.
“Anytime a team is playing zone, in a mind of a shooter you get a little happier,” Henderson said. “I knew I was going to have open looks early. We were working on that all day yesterday in practice … practicing getting the right shots, making sure our feet are set and holding our follow through.”
A big part of getting quality looks was a result of the passing of the Wolfpack’s big men. Freshman center Omer Yurtseven played in his second game for the Wolfpack after serving a nine-game suspension issued by the NCAA. Yurtseven scored only four points in the first half, but showed off his passing ability, sending an alley-oop to freshman forward Ted Kapita.
“[Yurtseven] is such a good passer from the high post,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “That kind of opens everything up. It opens up the low post, guys on the perimeter … That’s going to be a big plus for our team as Omer gets more comfortable. I think they’re all going to benefit from the way he passes the ball.”
Fairfield, a team which prides itself on its 3-point shooting, was hot early, but faltered once NC State’s defensive presence was felt. Despite shooting a less-than-stellar 26 percent from beyond the arc, the Stags continued to work the perimeter with 23 3-point attempts in the first half and 42 on the afternoon. On the other hand, the Pack showed poise from three, sinking 52 percent on 25 attempts.
The Wolfpack seemed to be the superior team midway through the first half, increasing its early lead to 17 with a 19-0 run. While NC State proved to be the better team statistically, the Stags continued to pester the Pack, ending the first half on a 10-2 run, bringing the deficit to 48-39.
Although the Pack’s defense stalled at times, the zone defense swarmed the Stags, forcing them to take more outside shots, leading to their low shooting percentage of 36 percent. While the defense improved for the third-straight game, Henderson believes there is still more room for improvement.
“We didn’t do the things we needed to do [in the second half] and late in the first half when they cut the lead down to single digits,” Henderson said. “But other than that I feel like the past three or four games we have made a huge step forward on the defensive end.”
Led by junior guard Tyler Nelson’s 23 points, Fairfield continued to fight back in the second half. The guard duo of Nelson and sophomore Jerry Johnson Jr. kept the Stags within striking distance.Another factor which kept the Stags hanging around was their defensive effort, forcing 15 Wolfpack turnovers.
Junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu finally found his game as well, after a stretch of three games where his scoring and rebounding highs were 11 and six respectively. Abu posted up in the paint and became an offensive force down low. The big man also helped the team on the glass, with nine boards. Abu broke out of his slump in style, with a near double-double, finishing the contest with 14 points and nine rebounds.
“I just had to talk to a lot of family,” Abu said. “A lot of people reached out to me. A lot of people wanted me to be better. The coaches, they believed in me. They stayed in my corner, and they believed and I’m starting to turn the corner again.”
The Wolfpack has struggled to rebound the ball, but it won that battle by its largest margin this season. NC State out-rebounded Farefield, a team that averages 38.5 boards a game, 45-30. Abu is a big reason why and NC State will need consistent production out of him in order to compete in that aspect of the game.
Freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. had a solid outing as well. Smith Jr. dished the ball with finesse, adding nine assists to his 17 points. He facilitated ball movement for the Wolfpack, which helped pick apart the Fairfield zone defense.
“I thought our ball movement really helped us get good shots,” Gottfried said. “I thought everybody moved it pretty well, everybody kind of joined in. Dennis was terrific, obviously with nine assists.”
The Pack is back in action Thursday in PNC Arena against the McNeese State Cowboys.
