RALEIGH – The NC State Men’s Basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 73-67 win over Campbell (1-1) on Friday night at PNC Arena.
The two squads traded baskets early, with neither team leading by more than a seven-point margin in the first half. The Pack saw its biggest lead of the frame come after a four-point play from Terquavion Smith, who finished with a game-high 19 points and tied his career high of six assists, to go ahead 23-16.
After the Camels fought back to take a three-point lead, NC State limited Campbell to just two points over the final 5:49 of the first half, enough for the Pack to carry a 39-34 edge into the locker room for halftime.
A tightly-contested second half saw the Camels threaten repeatedly, but were unable to take a lead at any point. Campbell cut the Pack’s advantage to as few as two points three times, with NC State responding to widen the gap on each occasion.
The Wolfpack pushed its lead to as many as nine points in the second half, only for the Camels to respond with a strong run of their own. With less than a minute remaining NC State was whistled for an offensive foul, with Campbell taking advantage by adding a basket from Anthony Dell’Orso to cut the lead to two points. The Camels’ momentum was halted quickly, however, as Jarkel Joiner netted a jumper to give the Pack a four-point lead which was enough to close out a strong effort from Campbell.
Joiner contributed the Pack’s last four field goals, icing the game over the last five minutes of play and finishing with 17 points in just his second game in red and white. Joiner was one of three members of the Wolfpack to finish in double figures, as alongside Smith’s 19 Jack Clark posted ten points of his own. Clark additionally led the team in rebounds with nine, putting him just one board shy of NC State’s second double-double of the season.
Fellow starters Dusan Mahorcic and Casey Morsell made their way onto the stat sheet with nine and eight points, respectively, while the Pack’s bench was a perfect five-of-five from the field with D.J. Burns Jr. adding four points, and Breon Pass, Ernest Ross, and Ebenezer Dowuona each tallying two points apiece.
The win served as NC State’s sixth in a row over in-state foe Campbell, improving the program’s all-time record to 12-1 against the Camels.
The Wolfpack will now shift its focus to the penultimate game of its four-game homestand to start the season, as the FIU Golden Panthers will travel to PNC Arena on November 15 for a Tuesday-night tilt. Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Regional Sports Networks alongside a radio stream on WRAL 101.5 in Raleigh and the Varsity Network app.
