We’ll have more on basketball as the week evolves, but definitely wanted to chronicle State’s win last night in PNC Arena.
The Pack looked very solid in the first half. Not so solid in the 2nd half. So, that means State has played 3 great halves of basketball out of 4 this season. Not so bad. And, nothing at which to sneeze considering that Hofstra is expected to contend near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association. Once March rolls around this one could easily be a “win over an NCAA Tournament team”.
WRAL.com discussed the difference in halves in their article linked here:
“We lost the game in the first half,” Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich said. “They kind of jumped us to their credit and took us out of our offense. We were just totally unsettled offensively in that first half and it affected the game.”
N.C. State built a double-digit lead just 5 minutes in and stayed active throughout the half to keep the pressure on. Turner found wide-open gaps against Hofstra’s zone and knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening half, helping the Wolfpack to a 45-29 lead at the break.
Hofstra inched back into the game and closed to 57-49 on Dion Nesmith’s 3-pointer with 10:48 left. But Des Lee answered with a layup, and then Turner had his flurry to push the lead back to 16 minutes later.
Lennard Freeman had nine points and 13 rebounds, and Kyle Washington had two points and six boards.
— The Wolfpacker (@TheWolfpacker) November 18, 2014
Abdul-Malik Abu had three points and six rebounds, and BeeJay Anya added three points and three blocks. Desmond Lee had four points.
— The Wolfpacker (@TheWolfpacker) November 18, 2014
Trevor Lacey is Mr. Double-Double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony Barber added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
— The Wolfpacker (@TheWolfpacker) November 18, 2014
It is hard to argue with the Charlotte Observer’s headline that states “Ralston Turner shoots NC State past Hofstra”
Whatever scouting report Hofstra had for Monday’s game at N.C. State, it didn’t include Ralston Turner.
Turner carved up Hofstra’s zone and led N.C. State to a 76-64 win.
Turner, who finished with a career-high 24 points, made five 3-pointers and made the Pride pay for going zone.
Maybe Hofstra only looked at N.C. State’s last game. Turner scored seven points in the season-opening win against Jackson State and had one 3-pointer, but the senior led the Wolfpack with 77 3s last season.
Turner scored eight points, including a pair of 3s, after Hofstra cut what was a 19-point N.C. State lead to 57-49 with 10 minutes, 47 seconds remaining.
[snip]
Sophomore forward Lennard Freeman helped with 13 rebounds and nine points but Turner provided the extra boost.
Not that guards Trevor Lacey (16 points) and Cat Barber (15) slacked off against the Pride, but it was Turner who was the go-to scorer against Hofstra’s 2-3 zone.
After a technical foul on Hofstra guard Malik Nichols, and then another 10 seconds later on coach Joe Mihalich, N.C. State’s lead ballooned to 51-32 with 17:28 remaining.
The Pride shot its way back to within single digits with a 10-1 run, capped by a 3-pointer Juan’ya Green at 12:47 to make it 55-46.
Desmond Lee made two free throws before Dion Nesmith’s 3 got the Pride within eight. After a basket by Lee, Turner drained 3s on consecutive trips, pushing N.C. State’s margin to 67-51 with 7:36 left.
Ultimately, State only shot 42% from the field…which I guess is the reason I’ve seen a couple of people complaining. Doesn’t make much sense as this is a young team in a young season that has generally played better than expectations.
NC State shot 25 of 67 from the field (37.3 percent), 6 of 20 on 3-pointers, and 20 of 31 at the line (64.5 percent).
— The Wolfpacker (@TheWolfpacker) November 18, 2014
Hofstra shot 21 of 68 from the field (30.9 percent), 9 of 28 on 3-pointers and 13 of 21 at line.
— The Wolfpacker (@TheWolfpacker) November 18, 2014
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