Tonight, BeeJay Anya set a NC State record with 10, yes 10, blocked shots. He almost recorded a triple double, adding 7 points and 8 rebounds as the Wolfpack trounced Jacksonville 79-43. Caleb Martin lead the team with 15 points off the bench, Lennard Freeman added a double double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, but the story was Anya. When Kyle Washington picked up an quick two fouls, Anya was inserted into the game. The Wolfpack, who briefly trailed 5-2, took control with a 14-0 run that turned into a 22-2 run that ended any thought of the Dolphins pulling an upset. The Pack was a unheard of +30 in rebound margin (57-27). In one possession, Anya blocked not one, not two, not three, but four shots. The crowd went crazy.
As great as Anya played on Thursday night, you can’t overlook the performance of Lennard Freeman and Caleb Martin. I remember looking up at the scoreboard just a couple of minutes into the game and recognizing that Freeman already had 4 rebounds while State had like 2 points. Freeman ultimately logged a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Martin showed a propensity to help the Pack where we desperately need it most – stretching the floor with outside shooting – as he nailed 3 of 5 three pointers and finished with 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting.
What didn’t work for State? You guessed it — free throw shooting. State was just 18 of 28 from the charity stripe and has a long way to go in this department.
The Pack has a couple of days to get ready for South Florida (3-0) in PNC Arena on Sunday afternoon at 4pm on ESPNU. The Bulls defeated UAB last night by a basket and previously took down Jackson State (common opponent with NC State) by 9 points.
You can check out Anya’s blocks in the first video below and then a full package of highlights (which definitely focus on Beejay’s big bight) in the second video. FWIW — your viewing of videos that we link (like this one that didn’t get on until late yesterday) goes a long way to enhancing our relationship with USA Today and therefore a long way to getting NC State more coverage.
