AUBURN, Ala. — The NC State men’s basketball team dropped a competitive nonconference game on the road against No. 12 Auburn as it struggled to control an all-around sloppy game.
The Wolfpack (8-3, 1-1 ACC) couldn’t hold on to the ball, stop fouling or take advantage of an abundance of trips to the free-throw line as it squandered a prime opportunity to pick up a key nonconference game against a ranked opponent.
On the defensive end, NC State couldn’t stop fouling, committing 27 fouls, including picking up two technicals. Redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels fouled out less than halfway through the second half, and redshirt senior guard C.J. Bryce hit the bench early with two minutes left as well. In addition to Daniels and Bryce’s five fouls each, sophomore forward Jericole Hellems, junior guard Braxton Beverly and senior guard Markell Johnson all committed four and were forced to play conservatively toward the end of the game as they nursed their fouls.
“When it started getting a little chippy, I think the officials started getting a little tighter with the calls,” Bryce said. “That’s the way we like to play … but we’ve got to pay better attention to detail. We can’t pick up those fouls … We really can’t have guys getting into foul trouble early.”
Offensively, the Wolfpack didn’t take advantage of its free chances at the charity stripe, shooting 12 for 20 from the line and only 50% altogether outside of Bryce’s 4-for-4 performance. Poorly led by Johnson’s 4-for-10 showing at the stripe, the Wolfpack clanked out eight free throws in what wound up a six-point game.
“It felt like everybody was missing tonight,” Johnson said. “We’re just going to get back in, get locked in, make sure we shoot free throws at practice … for situations like this.”
In addition to its struggles at the line, NC State constantly turned the ball over, handing the rock to the Tigers 18 times. Redshirt junior forward D.J. Funderburk was affected the most by Auburn’s length down low, committing five turnovers and struggling whenever he had to put the ball on the floor.
As the game’s speed and intensity ratcheted up, the Wolfpack’s ball handlers didn’t fare much better, as Johnson, Beverly, Bryce and Daniels combined for 12 turnovers, with Johnson and Beverly losing the ball five and three times respectively. Although the speed of the game might have gone out of control this time, the players know they can keep up in the future.
“It was a really fast-paced game,” Bryce said. “That’s the way we like to play as a team, that’s the way we play every day at practice.”
