The NC State men’s basketball team took down Pittsburgh 68-50 Saturday to remain unbeaten in conference play. The 18-point victory marked the Wolfpack’s largest win over an ACC opponent since beating Virginia by 19 March 15, 2013.
State (11-4, 2-0 ACC) finished its first half of the season with a bad loss to Cincinnati, leaving the team with a bad taste in its mouth. With three-straight games against ranked opponents next on the slate for the Pack, Saturday’s win was necessary.
“I’m proud of my team,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “They responded well. We took a step forward.”
Gottfried said that for his team to be successful in games, his players needed to “win in practice.”
“I believe this with my very core: This is a great place to play,” Gottfried said. “Our guys need to understand that. You need to practice hard every day to understand what a privilege it is to play here, and we’ve had great practices. Now, we have to win with a great practice every day.”
Pitt jumped out to an early 6-1 lead over the Pack, taking advantage of the State post players lack of speed by running pick-and-rolls on the offensive end and doubling in the post on defense.
Gottfried responded with the smaller, quicker lineup of sophomore forward Lennard Freeman and freshman forward Abdul-Malik Abu, who made the first start of his career. The change resulted in a 12-0 run for the Pack, including 11 straight missed shots by Pitt.
“Pittsburgh sets a ton of ball screens,” Gottfried said. “[Abu and Freeman] are our best ball screen defenders. We’re much more agile with them in the game.”
The Pack defense returned to form in the first after giving up 76 points to Cincinnati on Tuesday. State limited Pitt to just 20 points on 30 percent shooting, all while committing only four team fouls. The first half marked the Panthers’ lowest-scoring half since Dec. 2013.
Redshirt senior Ralston Turner finished the half in style for the Pack, drilling a long two-pointer at the buzzer. Turner and redshirt junior Trevor Lacey led the way at the half with seven each.
Turner began to catch fire early in the second, sinking three triples to extend the State lead to 15. Disciplined shot selection was key in the second half. The Pack started 9-for-11 from the floor, sparking a 19-9 run. State finished the contest shooting 52 percent from the field.
The hot streak came just in time for Turner, as the senior had hit a slump in the season, scoring just 16 points in his previous three outings.
“Ralston made some key baskets at key times,” Gottfried said. “He has looked very tired. We need him to make shots.”
Lacey and Turner were key offensively in the second half, combining for 35 points. Gottfried said that his two stars need to produce on a nightly basis.
“On every team, your best players have to play,” Gottfried said. “This team needs Ralston and Trevor. That doesn’t mean that they have to score every point, but they need to step up, and they did today.”
The State bigs had a much improved start on Saturday after dismal performances in the past few games. In the first half, Abu and Freeman combined for 10 points and 17 rebounds, while sophomore forward BeeJay Anya scored eight points and recorded three of the Pack’s nine blocks.
Gottfried said that today’s performance was a step in the right direction for his interior players.
“We’re getting there,” Gottfried said. “First of all, they have to get the ball more. But they’re coming, and I think they’re going to continue to improve.”
Freshman forwards Caleb and Cody Martin had a great day defensively for State. The young twins provided a much-needed spark that helped their team maintain its high level of play.
“Cody and Caleb both gave us tremendous energy and a tremendous lift,” Gottfried said.
Gottfried said that Cody Martin had been practicing as hard as anyone else and wished that he had played the freshman more than nine minutes.
State maintained its tough defense in the second half, out-rebounding the Panthers and limiting them to 14 points in the paint. Gottfried said that basic fundamentals were crucial to a strong defense.
“We moved our feet better; it sounds simple,” Gottfried said. “Sometimes its just a commitment to making more tough defensive slides.”
The Pack will return to action Wednesday, as the team travels north to take on No. 3 Virginia.
The NC State men's basketball team headed off the start of 2015 with a bang against Pittsburgh Saturday, Jan. 3 in PNC Arena, soundly defeating the Panthers 68-50. The Pack was led offensively by redshirt senior Ralston Turner (16 points) and redshirt junior Trevor Lacer (19 points). Beginning Wednesday, NC State hopes to continue the winning streak on a difficult stretch of ACC matchups against No. 3 Virginia, No. 2 Duke, and No. 19 UNC-Chapel Hill.
