The NC State men’s basketball team took on The Citadel at home on Sunday night looking to rebound from the loss against No.12 Auburn, and the Pack did just that, using a strong first half in which it outscored The Citadel by 18 to win by a final score of 83-63.

The Wolfpack (9-3, 1-1 ACC) was able to get off to a strong start due to the spectacular play of senior guard Markell Johnson, who finished with a triple-double by scoring 11 points along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Johnson became just the fourth player in school history to record a triple-double and the first player in the ACC this season to do so.

Redshirt junior Devon Daniels, who started over the Pack’s usual starter at shooting guard in redshirt senior C.J. Bryce, also got off to a strong start against The Citadel (6-6, 0-1 SoCon). Daniels led the team in scoring with 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and also added six rebounds and three steals.

NC State started off the game by taking a 22-5 lead with a little over 10 minutes left in the half. The Citadel was never able to cut the lead to single digits for the rest of the game, and at halftime, the Pack led 40-22. 

The Pack was able to control the pace for the rest of the game after taking an early lead. A big part of its success was rebounding and dominating in the paint. NC State grabbed a season-high 50 rebounds and also forced The Citadel into taking 45 3-point attempts, as it didn’t have the size to match up against the Pack inside.

NC State’s ability to take more shots inside instead relying on the 3 allowed it to dominate in field-goal percentage. The Pack shot 47 percent from the field compared to just 33.8 percent from The Citadel. The Wolfpack taking more inside shots also allowed the team to take more free throws than The Citadel. The Pack attempted 19 free throws, making 13 of them compared The Citadel’s 3-for-8 clip from the charity strike.

The Wolfpack will be back in action Dec. 29 as it hosts Appalachian State at 4 p.m. in PNC Arena.