The NC State men’s basketball team picked up an easy win in its first of two games at Reynolds Coliseum, racing past St. Francis Brooklyn 95-64 Saturday afternoon.
In the first part of an NC State basketball/football doubleheader, the Wolfpack (3-1) broke out a new defensive scheme, terrorizing the Terriers (1-3) with a full-court press in the first half to jump out to an early lead it never relinquished as it delivered the sold-out Reynolds crowd a win.
“I thought we did some really good things,” said NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. “We were able to turn [St. Francis] over 20 times and get nine steals, so I think we’re getting better.”
The early full-court press paid dividends. The Wolfpack guards hounded St. Francis’ ball-handlers, forcing them into four early turnovers and scoring five easy points off the Terriers’ miscues, including a ferocious fast-break dunk by redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels that fired up the rowdy Reynolds crowd into the under-12 media timeout.
Despite some sloppy offensive play, the Wolfpack kept up its press throughout the game, constantly trapping St. Francis in the backcourt and forcing the Terriers into live-ball turnovers. Almost everyone who checked into the game took a turn in the press, as the Pack used two on-ball defenders to trap the ball-handler and an off-ball defender to chase the escape pass.
“We were able to mix up [the presses] a little bit,” Keatts said. “I thought our guys were very active. I went into the game trying to get 40 deflections, and we got 41.”
NC State’s aggressive play forced the Terriers into a handful of desperation fouls and led to a number of free throw attempts. Redshirt senior guard C.J. Bryce led the Pack with six free throws on six attempts as the Wolfpack shot 8 for 8 from the line as a team. Bryce also led the team in points in the first half with 12.
“He’s playing really good basketball,” Keatts said. “He’s becoming a good player, because he’s doing it in every different way … He’s getting 18 or 19 points a game.”
The Wolfpack carried its defensive intensity into the second half, using it to truly put the game away for good. NC State forced five turnovers in the first few minutes of the half and turned those into 10 points and a 9-0 run to extend its lead out to 21 points just four minutes into the second frame.
A steady diet of free throws and points in the paint powered the Wolfpack through the end of the game, as NC State finished with 60 points in the paint and hit 20 of 28 free throws. The defense forced a season-high 20 turnovers, grabbed a season-high nine steals and scored 29 points off turnovers.
“We were playing hard,” Bryce said. “Coach [Keatts] really challenged us to come out and turn up our intensity on the defensive end, and I feel like we did a really good job.”
Despite sitting out the final five minutes, Bryce led the Pack with 22 points and 11 rebounds. In just 21 minutes in his second game back from suspension, redshirt junior forward DJ Funderburk scored 21 and grabbed seven rebounds. Daniels shot 6 for 11 from the field and finished with 13 points, while redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates and sophomore forward Jericole Hellems each had 12 to round out the team’s double-digit scorers.
Senior guard Markell Johnson continued to struggle shooting, hitting just one of his nine shots and shooting 0 for 4 from beyond the arc, but he facilitated the offense as well as always. The 6-foot-1 point guard dished out nine assists and tied with Bryce for the team high in steals with three.
“It’s just all about rhythm right now and getting back in the flow of things,” Johnson said. “I’m not too worried about it. It’s early in the season right now … I just don’t feel right, but I’m still out there playing.”
NC State will return to action for the second and final Reynolds Coliseum game Tuesday night at 7 p.m., when it takes on Alcorn State.
