Despite a slow start, N.C. State fended off East Tennessee State’s upset bid on Friday night and triumphed 77-63 in Raleigh, N.C.
Paul McNeil Jr. made a 4-point play, sinking a 3-pointer while being fouled, with 3:44 remaining in the game to give the Wolfpack (2-0) an insurmountable 70-59 lead. McNeil, who started the game 0-for-4, scored 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting from beyond the arc.
N.C. State’s Preston Edmead led all scorers, pouring in 20 points on 5-for-10 shooting and adding 10 assists. Christian Hammond added 13 points to help the Wolfpack remain undefeated after its season-opening win over Campbell. After leading N.C. State in scoring against Monday, Ven-Allen Lubin scored only five points in 26 minutes.
Tyran Mason led the Buccaneers in scoring with 14 points. Marqus Marion pitched in with 12 points, while preseason all-Southern Conference guard BJ Ward added 11 points and seven assists. Following their Monday loss to Arizona State, ETSU remains winless against power conference opponents since its December 2021 win against Georgia.
N.C. State outrebounded ETSU, 33 to 25, and outscored ETSU, 24-7 in points off turnovers in head coach Justin Gainey’s second game in charge.
East Tennessee (0-2) started the game hot, jumping out to an 18-10 lead with just under ten minutes elapsed after a Mason dunk. However, the Wolfpack evened the game at 23-all with Hammond’s fast-break layup, then took the lead with McNeil’s deep 3-pointer, capping a 13-2 run.
The Buccaneers were able to regain the lead at 36-35 lead going into halftime thanks to Jayden Cooper’s 3-point shot with under a minute remaining.
ETSU further stretched its lead early in the second half, going up by as much as 10 on three occasions. After a layup by Elton Smith made the score 52-42, N.C. State quickly stormed back, riding a 15-0 run to take a 57-52 lead after an Edmead layup.
From there, the Wolfpack never looked back. They outscored the Buccaneers 20-11 after Edmead’s layup, combining hot shooting with persistent defense.
ETSU shot 18.2% from beyond the arc in the second half, compared to N.C. State’s 41.2%.
The Wolfpack converted all 19 free throw attempts in the game.