Kevin Keatts Records First Win In The ACC/ Big Ten Challenge As NC State Tops Penn State
New NC State head coach Kevin Keatts who is in his first season in Raleigh recorded his first win in the ACC/ Big Ten Challenge Wednesday as NC State beat Penn State.
NC State remained unbeaten at home this season with an 85-78 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions Wednesday night at PNC Arena. Omer Yurtseven came off the bench and posted a double-double, scoring a career-high 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the Wolfpack. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
Yurtseven, who had only hit four three-pointers in his career coming into the game, was 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sam Hunt was also lights out from deep, going 4-of-5 as he posted a season-high 14 points for the Pack. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
Grad transfer Allerik Freeman was the Pack's second-leading scorer, dropping 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. The Charlotte, N.C. native has scored in double digits every game this season. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
Lennard Freeman added 10 points for the Pack, continuing his consistency at the line as he made 4-of-5 free throws. Redshirt-junior Torin Dorn pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds and added a career-high three blocks to lead all Wolfpack players. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
NC State finished the game with a 10-of-16 mark from three-point range. The 10 made triples and .625 three-point field goal percentage were both season-highs for the Pack."according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
The Pack's bench was especially efficient in the win, going 9-of-10 from beyond the arc and outscoring the Penn State bench 39-9 for the game. "according tohttp://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
The Nittany Lions jumped out to an 11-0 lead early on in the first half, but the Pack held its composure as NC State nailed four-straight three-pointers to cut the Nittany Lions' lead to 18-14 with 11:22 remaining in the period. The Wolfpack took its first lead of the game on a Yurtseven pick-and-roll slam to make it 25-24. Penn State went 0-of-10 from the field over the final 6:04 of the half as NC State closed the period on a 12-2 run and headed to the locker room with a 37-30 advantage. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
NC State led by as much as 13 in the second half, but Penn State would not go down without a fight. The Nittany Lions pulled within three points of the Pack with 1:49 remaining on a trey from Tony Carr, who led all scorers with 29 points on the night. Leading 77-74, Braxton Beverly and Markell Johnson collectively put the game away as the duo went 8-of-10 from the free throw line over the final 52 seconds of the game. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/29/mens-basketball-pack-gets-back-on-track-with-win-over-penn-state-85-78.aspx
NC State will return to action Saturday when they host South Carolina State who is a member of the Mid -Eastern Athletic Conference.
Tip-off is set for 12:00pm from PNC Arena. The game will be televised on the Regional Sports Network. "according to http://www.gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball