Thanks to some great offensive contributions from several players, NC State men’s basketball put together a solid performance to beat Vanderbilt 70-66 on the road, earning head coach Kevin Keatts his 100th win with the red-and-white.

The Wolfpack (10-3, 0-2 ACC) traded blows with the Commodores (5-6) and eventually wore them down largely due to the efforts of sophomore guard Terquavion Smith and graduate forward DJ Burns.

In the first half, Smith put the squad on his back, leading the team in scoring with 14 points. Six of these came on a pair of deep 3-pointers which helped establish the Pack’s offensive attack. Smith cooled down in the second half, however, finishing the game with 16 points.

Graduate guard Jarkel Joiner began to get hot as he cashed in seven first-half points, and he had 12 by the end of the game. But while Smith and Joiner were hot in the first half, the Pack lacked significant contributions from other players. However, that narrative was flipped after the break as the red-and-white’s backcourt cooled off and Burns took over.

Following halftime, it truly became the DJ Burns show, with the graduate student finishing the game with a team-high 18 points after only scoring four in the first half. He proved unstoppable in the paint as he continually grabbed rebounds and made shots off the glass.

Senior guard Casey Morsell also took off in the second half, finishing the night with 15 points. During the contest, he cashed in a pair of 3-pointers which helped spark the Pack’s offense to life. His performance showed his continued improvement as he’s truly proven himself to be a key leader and player in the Wolfpack’s lineup

Another source of optimism revolved around the Pack’s ability to rebound. In its previous game against Furman, the team only narrowly won the rebound margin. However, that was not the case against the Commodores as the Pack outrebounded Vanderbilt 38-30. Burns played a huge role in pounding the boards, and his team-leading nine rebounds helped NC State establish its dominance in the paint.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Wolfpack compiled an outstanding four blocks in the first half alone. One of these came at a crucial time as graduate guard Jack Clark swatted away a shot to help cool down the Commodores, who had connected on five of their previous seven field goals. However, the Pack’s shot defense looked rather shaky as Vanderbilt went into the half with a 38-34 lead.

Coming off a victory against Furman in which it forced a total of 20 turnovers, this strong defensive effort proved to be a large point of emphasis in the Wolfpack’s gameplan. The NC State defense continued to do an amazing job as it helped force a total of nine turnovers. Also, the Pack’s shot defense improved after halftime, forcing Vanderbilt’s overall shooting percentages down as the Commodores finished with a 28.6% clip from beyond the arc and 41.7% in total.

There were several moments when NC State seemed to go cold throughout the game. However, the red-and-white cashed in on crucial baskets and stood tall when it mattered most. Most importantly, the lineup showed its capability to play great offense and defense.

However, a rather large question mark looms as the Pack saw minimal contributions from its bench yet again as it only produced a mere two points. Contributions from the bench will prove to be increasingly important as the Pack prepares to enter the thick of its ACC schedule.

NC State will return home against Louisville on Thursday, Dec. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network.