A very young NC State men’s basketball squad took care of business in its exhibition game against the Elizabeth City State University Vikings, winning 87-68.
Although the box score was dominated by the upperclassmen, the game provided a good opportunity for the Pack’s freshmen to gain some collegiate experience prior to the start of the regular season. Freshman guards Terquavion Smith and Breon Pass both eclipsed the double-digit mark, notching 12 each.
“I’m with a good program,” Smith said. “These are my big brothers and I can look up to them. They trust me just like I trust them.”
The freshmen were aided by some solid showings from NC State veterans. Senior forward Jericole Hellems was the Pack’s top scorer with 16 points, while redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron and sophomore guard Cam Hayes led the way with six rebounds and five assists, respectively.
The Pack cruised to a 50-29 halftime lead thanks to some precise shooting from beyond the arc. NC State went 9 for 18 from 3-point range in the first half, a big change of pace from last year’s team that ranked 291st in the country in total 3-point attempts.
“Last year we had to shift; we went to bigs,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “Our best three-point shooter was Braxton Beverly, and he could barely sit down during timeouts. We got some guys that can make shots; we got some shotmakers this year.”
The Vikings didn’t make things easy for the Pack, however, going toe-to-toe with NC State on the boards. ECSU nabbed 38 rebounds, just barely outpacing the Wolfpack’s 35. Conversely, the Vikings didn’t do themselves many favors either, coughing up the ball a whopping 17 times in the first half and 27 times overall. With 14 steals in the game, Keatts’ trademark high-pressure approach to defense was in full effect as the Pack gears up for the regular season.
“It starts in practice every day,” said redshirt senior guard Thomas Allen. “We go hard every day. We worked in the shootaround today and started the energy from there. Creating everything, we did a good job today.”
The Wolfpack will open its regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 when it faces off against the Bucknell Bison in PNC Arena. The game is set to air on ACCNX at 8 p.m.
