Fifteen players saw the court and ten players received at least ten minutes of playing-time as the Wolfpack defeated Fort Valley State 94-65 in its first exhibition game of the season. The Pack shot 52 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line. Senior Courtney Fells said the team played well, but it needs to improve on defensive rebounds after allowing the Wildcats 14 offensive boards.
“I would give us a B-plus, because we didn’t do a great job on the defensive glass,” Fells said.
Fells, who was moved from shooting guard to small forward this season, led the Pack with 21 points, going 7-for-10 in just 21 minutes on the court. Lowe said Fells is going to thrive in his new position.
“He’s allowing the game to come with him. He’s not forcing anything. He’s taking the shots when its there. I think playing him at [small forward] gives him a certain advantage sometimes.”
In addition to Fells, Javi Gonzalez, C.J. Williams, Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley were given the starting nod by Lowe. The surprise was Williams, who is a true freshman, and was started at shooting guard in favor of redshirt junior Trevor Ferguson. Williams scored eight points and hauled in four rebounds in 21 minutes of play. Williams said he knew he was in position for a starting spot when Lowe placed him on the first-team in scrimmages.
“When he put me on the team with the starters, I kind of realized it then. But I never became complacent. It wasn’t like ‘now I’m in the starting lineup, so I can just relax now,'” Williams said. “No, I kept working hard because that’s what I want to do.”
Lowe said Williams has earned his role in the starting lineup.
“He’s worked extremely hard. In the preseason, during the summer time, he’s worked hard,” Lowe said. “He’s just a solid basketball player. [He] doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s very poised as a freshman.”
State jumped to an early lead on the Wildcats with a three-pointer from Fells just 28 seconds into the game. A Tracy Smith layup at the 12:53 mark in the first half put the Pack up by double digits, and State never looked back. Smith said State played well in its first outing of the year.
“I thought everybody came out and played well,” Smith said. Energy was at 100 percent. [We] boxed out, rebounded. Did everything we needed to do to get the win.”
State will face Catawba in another exhibition game on Nov. 11 in Reynolds Coliseum. Then, it will begin the regular season by traveling to New Orleans, a team that handed State a loss last year, on Nov. 15.
“From the game we lost against Miami last year in the ACC [Tournament], we’ve been waiting for this day,” small forward Simon Harris said. “It’s just a great opportunity to not have to play your teammates. Everyone is excited about it and we’re looking forward to Tuesday.