Sophomore forward T.J. Warren had 26 points and 10 rebounds as N.C. State scraped past UNC-Pembroke 96-85 on Wednesday night at Reynolds Coliseum.
Sophomore guard Tyler Lewis also played well for the Wolfpack, dishing out 15 assists and scoring five points in State’s first exhibition games.
The Braves dominated the Wolfpack on the boards, outrebounding State 44-33. UNC-Pembroke grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and scored 19 second chance points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome State’s fast-paced offense.
“Obviously there’s a lot for us to work on, but I like that we scored 96 points while missing 17 foul shots and turning the ball over 16 times,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “If we don’t turn the ball over as much as we did and we make a few foul shots, then that 96 becomes about 110 real quick.”
“Defensively we can’t give up 85, but I think that had a lot to do with not securing a rebound at times.”
In his first appearance for the Wolfpack, redshirt junior guard Ralston Turner racked up 20 points, two blocks and three steals. Turner’s offensive presence and defensive intensity were ever-present against the Braves, who kept the game close throughout.
“It felt pretty good to be out there,” Turner said. “It’s been 19 months since I’ve played a game, so I was just glad to get back out there. I had some jitters. I was nervous, but once the game got started I was ok.”
Redshirt senior center Jordan Vandenberg went down with an ankle injury just five minutes into the game. Before his injury, Vandenberg had four points, two rebounds and was showing a good amount of chemistry with Lewis. All of Vandenberg’s points came from dunks on alley-oop passes from the sophomore.
With Vandenberg sidelined, the Braves had free reign on the boards all night against the young, undersized Wolfpack. Gottfried said that the X-rays on Vandenberg’s ankle were negative and that he will have an MRI on Thursday.
“It was different out there when Jordan went down,” Warren said. “Jordan’s a seven-footer, so he gets the majority of rebounds. But our freshmen are still learning and adjusting to the offense, so we’re going to get better.”
Freshman point guard Anthony Barber also played well in his first appearance in front of the Wolfpack faithful. Barber finished the night 14 points, including seven from the foul line and two steals.
The freshman started the game slowly, picking up three turnovers in the first half. But Gottfried said he was happy with how Barber picked up his play in the second half.
“I thought Cat really gave us a spark,” Gottfried said. “In the first half when he came in, he was really tentative. At halftime I told him ‘You’ve got to turn it loose. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake and play.’”
Gottfried said he liked how the sophomore dictated the flow of the game with his passing.
“With Tyler, it’s a little bit like Richard Howell rebounding,” Gottfried said. “Richard will go get you 15 rebounds, and you take it for granted. Tyler’s a little bit like that with his assists; he’ll get you a bunch, and you somewhat take it for granted.”
State will host Morehouse at PNC Arena on Saturday following the football team’s homecoming matchup against rival UNC-Chapel Hill. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
