Despite a slow start that saw the Wolfpack go down 11-0, the NC State men’s basketball team outlasted Penn State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, defeating the Nittany Lions 85-78 in PNC Arena Wednesday night.

The Wolfpack (6-2) got a career-high 19 points from sophomore forward Omer Yurtseven, who also picked up 11 rebounds to garner his third-career double-double to prevent the Pack from dropping its third-straight game. The Nittany Lions (6-2) were led by 29 points from guard Tony Carr.

“I thought we came out real flat for whatever reason,” head coach Kevin Keatts said. “I thought our guys held their composure and battled back in the game … very proud of our guys. I’m proud of the win.”

NC State relied heavily on its shooting game in this one, as the team went 10 for 16 from 3-point range. Graduate transfer guard Sam Hunt led the way shooting, going 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, with Yurtseven shooting 3 for 3 and freshman guard Lavar Batts Jr. shooting 2 for 2.

“It feels great. It’s mostly about confidence,” Yurtseven said. “You can’t knock them down that easy without confidence.”

The Wolfpack was without senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu and sophomore forward Darius Hicks as it squared off against the Nittany Lions. Abu was held out with soreness in his knee after playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis but missing the first four games of the season. Hicks tore his ACL in practice this week and will miss the season.

Abu’s absence was immediately felt as Penn State, using an advantage on the glass, jumped out to an 11-0 lead, scoring eight points in the paint and grabbing seven rebounds, four of which were of the offensive variety.  

The Pack got on the board for the first time with just under 15 minutes left in the first half on a stepback jumper by graduate transfer Allerik Freeman and continued the scoring on a 3-pointer from Hunt to cut the lead to 11-5.

“We came out sluggish, that’s true, but we knew as they kept pressuring up, they’d get tired and we’d be fine,” Hunt said. “I think we’re the best conditioned team in the country, so as they wear down and get tired and the game keeps going on, we won’t be tired.”

The Pack grabbed its first lead of the game with just over six minutes to go in the first half. Freshman Braxton Beverly and Yurtseven teamed up for a pick-and-roll, a play that resulted in a Yurtseven dunk and plenty of applause from the Wolfpack faithful as the score moved to 25-24 over the Nittany Lions.

“You learn a lot about your team,” Keatts said. “I don’t have any plays in my playbook when you’re down 11-0. You got to do a great job at just chopping away at the lead. I looked at it one time it was 11-5. We kept chopping away. I told those guys don’t be surprised when we have the lead.”

Penn State continued to falter offensively as the Wolfpack stretched its lead to seven. The Nittany Lions ended the first half on 1 of 13 shooting and failed to score for over five minutes to close out the half. Despite the sluggish start, the Pack led the Nittany Lions 37-30 going into halftime.

Hunt led the Pack with 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting in the first half, all from deep. Redshirt junior Torin Dorn couldn’t get a shot to fall, but picked up eight rebounds and three blocks in the first half. Dorn would end the night with a career high in both categories.

NC State came out strong after the break. Freeman knocked down a 3 and Hunt promptly hit his fourth made 3-pointer in a row to put the Pack up 46-34.

The Wolfpack lead held steady through the next few minutes. Penn State endured another scoring drought, failing to convert a field goal, despite multiple chances, for nearly five minutes. The Pack took advantage of this, extending the lead to 66-55 with 7:40 to play.

Yurtseven continued to show his versatility, hitting two more 3-pointers and flushing down and alley-oop from sophomore Markell Johnson. The center finished with 19 points, a career-high, and 11 rebounds on the night.

“It’s just mentality,” Yurtseven said. “You just lock in, feel confident, shoot them and knock them down.”

The Pack led by as much as 13 with four minutes to play, but the Nittany Lions cut the lead to three with under two minutes left using a 9-0 run on 4-of-4 shooting.

The two teams traded points and fouls in the final minute, but the Wolfpack ultimately prevailed 85-78.

Freeman finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Hunt added 14 points. Despite struggling on the offensive end, Dorn grabbed 12 rebounds total, six offensive and six defensive.

Next up for the Pack is South Carolina State. The Wolfpack will take on the Bulldogs, who are 1-6 on the season, Dec. 2 at PNC Arena at noon.