Last night at the Lenovo Center, the North Carolina State men’s basketball team delivered an impressive performance for their season opener, blowing out North, 114-66.
At the start of the half senior forward Darrion Williams, who scored 19 points for the Wolfpack, started as a consistent shooter – getting their offense going in the first half with three consecutive three-pointers. The Wolfpack took off from there matching a school record with 19 three-pointers in a single game. Other players, such as Paul McNiel, Tre Holloman, and Qaudir Copeland, all scored more than 15 or more points throughout the game for the Wolfpack.
The North Carolina Central Eagles were trailing by just 6 points in the first half with 11:41 minutes remaining. However, after a timeout, freshman Matt Able started a 13-0 run for the Wolfpack, hitting a three-pointer jumper, followed by Quadir Copepland with a layup. The Eagles, being overwhelmed by the physicality of the Wolfpack, left them scoreless for 1:24 seconds in the first half, which ended in a 28-point lead for the Wolfpack by halftime.
Matt Able, Darrion Williams, and Qaudir Copeland said after the game they enjoyed being able to play as a team in front of Wolfpack fans. Head coach Will Wade also expressed appreciation for the support from fans. “We played with much more of an edge,” Will Wade said. The next game for the Wolfpack will be this Friday at Lenovo against the University of Alabama at Birmingham at 9 pm.
