The NC State men’s basketball team won handily against a depleted Boston College rotation, winning 81-65 at the Conte Forum in Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday, Feb. 6.
NC State played its best game of ACC play against the Eagles, clicking all around on offense and riding a 33-3 run in the first half to take a huge lead while never looking back. Freshman guard Shakeel Moore and redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk were the catalysts of the first-half explosion, combining for 21 points. Moore finished the game with a career-high 19 points, six rebounds, two steals and an emphatic block on 66.7% shooting from the field, after shooting a perfect 5 for 5 in the first half.
“[Moore] did a tremendous job,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “I asked him today to be a paint-touch guy. We lost our guy who could get to the rim in [redshirt senior guard Devon Daniels], and really the next guy in line who can really get to the rim and make something happen is Shakeel Moore. He went out there, and he tried to execute what I wanted him to do.”
Funderburk had something to prove to the coaching staff after being pulled late during a close game with No. 14 Virginia and responded well to the adversity. Funderburk finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, with 10 of his points coming in the first half to help the Pack cruise to victory.
The Pack’s other big men, junior forward Jericole Hellems and redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates, also dominated inside. Hellems finished with 11 points, while Bates had 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
“Leading into the game, I think coach Keatts did a good job just burning it into our guards’ heads that we need to look into the post,” Funderburk said. “We looked at film probably like five or six times in two days to figure out where we can get the ball to me, Cole [Hellems] and Manny [Bates] and kind of put the team on our back as far as us three.”
Joining Moore in his explosive game were freshman guard Cam Hayes and redshirt junior guard Thomas Allen, who both filled the stat sheet. Hayes didn’t shoot much but impacted the game well by ending the game with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Allen also finished with seven points to go along with three steals, four assists and two blocks.
“I thought our guards played a really good game today,” Keatts said. “Shakeel Moore had a career high, he did a tremendous job. I thought [Cam Hayes] played a good floor game. It was a great game because we needed to win, especially because I wanted these guys to feel good about themselves.”
This was the exact kind of game Keatts was looking for in his guard players after losing Daniels for the year. The production from the front court was welcomed, but the team was always going to need another guard or wing to step up — this game might’ve given the back court the confidence to do just that.
“Definitely some maturity and growth there,” Moore said. “Shot selection is very important at this level, and that’s a higher-percentage shot. I feel like swinging the ball around and getting it down low, if I don’t have an immediate catch and shoot, then I feel like that’s the higher-percentage shot. I do feel like maturity plays a big role here.”
Entering the game, it was announced that Boston College would only have six scholarship players available to suit up due to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols within the program. Five of those six players, Steffon Mitchell, Kamari Williams, Jay Heath, Rich Kelly and CJ Felder played 157 of 200 possible minutes.
“It definitely can be damaging,” Moore said. “I feel like when you’re on a pause, it’s easy to become out of shape. It’s easy to not have that chemistry from not practicing. I think it all ties in together. I had seen it early that they weren’t able to keep up with us too much. These pauses are really hard.”
The first half set the tone for the rest of the game, especially when Moore first checked in. The team finished the first half shooting 56.7% from the floor, snagging 22 rebounds en route to outrebounding the Eagles 40-27 and picking up eight assists after finishing with just nine all game against Virginia. NC State led 44-24 at the end of the opening period.
In the second half, it was more of the same for the Pack, as senior guard Braxton Beverly opened the half with a nice feed inside to Bates, who flushed it home.
When the game was already out of reach, Keatts decided to give some run to his other freshmen, forwards Nick Farrar, Ebenezer Dowuona and Jaylon Gibson, and redshirt freshman guard Dereon Seabron. The four played a total of 37 minutes in the contest.
“Then, obviously it was great because we got the big lead, and I was able to get some of those younger guys some playing time at the end,” Keatts said. “Those guys haven’t had the opportunity to play in many games, because of obviously no nonconference, but I’m excited about it. We’ll take it. We’ll get back, continue to go to work and we’ll get better.”
Keatts and the rest of the team will hope the confidence from this lopsided victory carries on to its remaining schedule, as it next takes on Syracuse in a chance for revenge on Tuesday, Feb. 9 inside PNC Arena.
