In its first road game of the season, the N.C. State men’s basketball team fell to the Cincinnati Bearcats by a score of 68-57. The game was a part of ESPN’s 24-hour College Hoops promotion.
The Bearcats implemented a full-court press through most of the match, which caused a problem for the Pack.
“The full-court press was meant to slow us down,” junior guard Desmond Lee said. “It did its job.”
State opened the game with energy and jumped out to a quick lead, but Cincinnati responded with a 13-4 run of its own to take its first lead of the contest. Cincinnati redshirt-senior guard Sean Kilpatrick highlighted the run with two three-point baskets.
Kilpatrick led his team in points and assists, totaling 21 and three respectively.
State was able to tie the game at the end of the first half, at the score of 35-35.
The Pack looked out of sorts at the start of the second half, allowing the Bearcats to gain a lead that they only relinquished for 61 seconds.
Cincinnati ended the game on an 11-4 run, aided by missed free throws by State. The Pack shot an unimpressive 12-21 from the line during the course of the game, including only 2-9 in the second half.
“We worked on [free throws] every day in practice,” sophomore guard Tyler Lewis said. “Sometimes, they just don’t go in.”
Lack of depth played a role in State’s poor finish, as only eight members of the Pack earned playing time on Tuesday afternoon. Even though he played 33 minutes, Lewis said that fatigue did not play factor into the team’s performance down the stretch.
“I don’t think that it played that much of a factor,” Lewis said. “We had a good rotation throughout the whole game.”
A concern for State on Tuesday was its post play. Freshmen forwards Kyle Washington, BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman combined for only six points, and the Pack gave up 36 points in the paint as a team.
State defended the Bearcats poorly and committed too many fouls. Two players, redshirt-junior guard Ralston Turner and Freeman, earned four fouls, while four others had three.
“There’s not really anything for us to work on,” Lee said. “With the [recent] rule changes, every little thing you do is a foul. When [opposing] players drive down the lane, people get out of the way because they don’t want a foul called on them.”
Turner led the team with 13 points and four three-pointers, despite being limited to 25 minutes. Washington, a usual starter for the Pack, was in foul trouble most of the game, limiting him to 11 minutes.
Both Lewis and Lee said that in order to succeed, State needed to put an emphasis on grabbing boards.
The team will look to rebound from Tuesday’s loss against Campbell on Saturday in PNC Arena.
