An unpleasant evening of basketball
Game Summary:
Apparently, NC State did not travel to Chapel Hill to compete. In the first game with UNC the Wolfpack held them to 63 total points. In this one, the Heels had 63 points three minutes into the second half and 93 with about 2 minutes left.
In the first half it appeared that NC State left their defense in Raleigh. UNC shot extremely well 55.6% / 46.7%, but to make it worse, they got exactly half of their missed shots (8 of 16) off the rim so they could attempt another shot. Add in 9 Wolfpack turnovers, resulting in 13 UNC points, and you get a game that is over early. Halftime score 26-54, the largest halftime deficit in this rivalry since Gottfried’s last season.
The second half was better, the Pack shot better, rebounded better and only turned it over once, but was unable to exert enough effective defensive pressure on the Tar Heels. NC State did ‘win’ the second half 47-43, but the 28 point halftime lead was impossible to overcome. Final score 97-73
Overall Takeaways:
- The Wolfpack had no energy in the first half, and UNC took advantage of it
- Once again, the Pack had one good half and one bad one
- NC State had 9 turnovers at the half, but only 10 for the game.
- Points in the paint: UNC 52, NC State 26
- Middlebrooks and Huntley-Hatfield combined for 2 points and 2 rebounds (see previous bullet)
Coach Keatts Comments
Individual Highlights
- Jayden Taylor led the scoring with his second consecutive 19 point game
- Dontrez Styles played much better versus his old team in this game, scoring 18 and leading the team in rebounding with 5
- Ben Middlebrooks had 3 of the team’s 6 assists
- Michael O’Connell had 3 of the team’s 6 steals
- Paul McNeil played well. He had 14 minutes and scored a career high 14 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.