A nice start to the Christmas break, and warm up for ACC play
Game Summary:
If only we were as good as we looked in this first half!
Rider scored first and went up 3-0. From there, the Pack went on a 52-20 run, going into halftime 52-23. 10 players got minutes, 9 players scored and got at least one rebound. The Pack shot 65.4% including 4-8 from 3PT. Marcus Hill and Michael O’Connell had 4 assists apiece.
As you would expect, with a 29-point lead at the half, and Christmas break looming at the end of the game, the Wolfpack didn’t play as well in the second half. Rider won the second half 40-37, shooting a little better than the Pack at all three levels. However, that 29-point halftime lead was plenty.
NC State wins 89-63. Time to head home for the holidays.
Merry Christmas!
Overall Takeaways:
- NC State was clearly the more talented team and showed it. The defense in the first half held the Broncs to 29.6% from the field
- Rebounding – Still a problem, Rider outrebounded the Pack 36-32
- Free throw shooting was good – 70.6% from the free throw line
- Sharing the ball – 21 assists on 29 made baskets (72.4%)
- 14 players got minutes, 13 scored, 12 got rebounds
- More steals (8) than turnovers (7)
Keatts Comments
Individual Highlights
- Jayden Taylor led the team scoring with 16, 3-4 from 3PT
- Dennis Parker, Jr. led the team in rebounding with 5
- Marcus Hill led the team in assists with 6
- Ben Middlebrooks had another solid stat line, including 3 blocked shots
- Brandon Huntley-Hatfield led the team in steals with 2