NC State Returns To Raleigh To Host Western Carolina

After flying down to Miami for the Hoop Hall Miami Invitational and getting back in the win column NC State who is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference returns to North Carolina’s state capital to host Western Carolina who is a member of the Southern Conference on Wednesday.

NC State comes into the game with a record of 7-1 while Western Carolina comes into the game with a record of 2-7.

As for NC State’s previous game, they got back in the win column in the Hoops Hall Miami Invitational with a win over Vanderbilt.

Junior guard Markell Johnson scored 12 straight points for the NC State men's basketball team during a crucial stretch late in the second half to lead the Pack to an 80-65 win over Vanderbilt Saturday evening in the HoopHall Miami Invitational played at American Airlines Arena.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

The win was the 100th career collegiate victory for NC State head coach Kevin Keatts as the Pack led wire-to-wire. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

NC State had a 12-point lead, 46-34, at the half, but Vanderbilt had cut the deficit to just two points, 60-58, with 8:31 to play when Johnson took over. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

With 6:40 to play, Johnson started his spurt with two free throws to stretch NC State's lead to four. On the next possession, Johnson hit a jumper to extend the lead to six. Vanderbilt took a timeout to try to slow the Cleveland, Ohio, native down, but the Commodores missed a three-pointer on its ensuing possession and Johnson hit a three-pointer on NC State's next possession to give NC State a nine-point lead, 67-58, with 5:26 to go. The Commodores made a three-pointer its next time down to cut the lead to six, but Johnson answered again, this time with an old-fashion three-point play as he drove to the hoop and hit the lay-up through contact. The ensuing free throw gave NC State a 70-61 lead with 4:54 to go. Vanderbilt missed a three-pointer on its next trip down and Johnson corralled the rebound and then went down and scored again for NC State to put the Pack's lead back in double-digits at 11 with 4:02 to go. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

Braxton Beverly made one free throw to stop Johnson's streak of scoring for NC State, but on the next possession Johnson added one free throw and hit a lay-up on the next one to score 15 of NC State's 16 points and give the Pack a 76-62 lead with 2:41 to go. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

On the Pack's next possession, Johnson found Wyatt Walker for a lay-up to give NC State its biggest lead of the game, 78-62, with 1:49 to play. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

From the 6:40 mark of the second half to the 2:41 mark, a total of 3 minutes and 59 seconds of game time, Johnson scored 15 of NC State's 16 points. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

Johnson finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added a season-best seven assists. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

DJ Funderburk was next for the Pack in scoring with 16 points. The sophomore scored all 16 of his points in the first half as the Pack's bench outscored Vanderbilt's bench, 37-21. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

Torin Dorn capped the Pack's scoring with a jumper in the closing minute to finish with 10 points and remain the only NC State player to score in double figures in every game this season. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

The Pack opened the game with a  Walker lay-up and never looked back in the opening 20 minutes. NC State never trailed as it methodically built its lead in the first half. The Pack's first five field goals of the game were by five different players as eight different players scored in the first half. Funderburk came off-the-bench and immediately provided a scoring punch as he scored three straight baskets for the Pack as it opened an early nine-point lead. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

NC State would increase the lead to 11 points before Vanderbilt went on a 7-0 run to cut NC State's advantage to 36-32 with 5:34 to go. From that point, the Pack ended the half on a 10-2 run as NC State's defense only allowed one Commodore field goal and forced five Vanderbilt turnovers in the closing minutes of the half. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

The Pack only turned it over twice in the first half, compared to 10 turnovers for Vanderbilt and also scored 26 of its 46 points off the bench in the opening 20 minutes.

NC State finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds and had a plus-13 – 46-33 – advantage in rebounds over the Commodores. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

NC State returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 5 when it hosts Western Carolina at 7 p.m. inside Reynolds Coliseum. The annual Heritage Game will open with a special ceremony as James. T. Valvano Arena will be formally dedicated to the legendary coach who guided the Wolfpack to the 1983 national championship. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/1/mens-basketball-johnsons-strong-play-late-helps-pack-defeat-commodores.aspx

Unlike NC State who won their previous game, Western Carolina lost in double overtime to Furman on the road.

Furman used a 7-0 run to gain separation in the second overtime period as the Paladins earned a 90-88 double overtime win over Western Carolina inside Timmons Arena on Saturday afternoon. The game was the first double-overtime affair for the Catamounts since an 88-83 win over Wofford on March 5, 2016. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Furman improves to 8-0 overall and 1-0 in the Southern Conference while Western Carolina drops to 2-7 and 0-1. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Carlos Dotson recorded his fourth double-double of the season and second straight with a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds. Marc Gosselin posted his 10th career double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Kameron Gibson finished with 17 points while Onno Steger had 14, one shy of tying a career-high. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Jordan Lyons led Furman with a game-high 29 points. Matt Rafferty had a double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Clay Mounce also posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Alex Hunter also finished in double figures with 11 points. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

The Catamounts won the opening tip and opened the game on a 5-0 run thanks to a Gibson 3-pointer and a Gosselin layup. The Paladins answered with a 10-0 run fueled by 3-pointers by Noah Gurley and Lyons to lead 10-5 with 15:53 to play in the half. WCU tied the game at 10 on a pair of Steger free throws and led 17-12 after a Steger 3-pointer with 10:39 remaining. After the Paladins scored seven straight points to lead 19-17, WCU answered with consecutive 3-pointers by Halvorsen and Josh Cottrell for a 23-19 lead. Gibson’s 3-pointer at the 3:08 mark gave the Catamounts a 33-26 advantage, their largest of the half. Furman closed the half on an 8-0 run for a 34-33 halftime lead. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Steger opened the scoring for the Catamounts in the second half as his long-range jumper gave the visitors a 36-35 lead 35 seconds into the second half. The lead changed five times in the next 4:14 with the Paladins gaining a 42-40 lead after Rafferty hit the second of two free throw attempts at the 14:36 mark. Four consecutive made free throws by Marcus Thomas and Dotson gave WCU a 47-44 lead at the 12:21 mark with the three-point lead the largest held by either team in the opening 13 minutes of the second half. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Furman led 60-55 after a Rafferty layup but the Catamounts responded with a 7-0 run for a 62-60 lead with 4:26 left in regulation. Lyons tied the game at 60 with just under three minutes to go. Dotson gave the Catamounts the lead on a reverse layup at the 1:28 mark and pushed the WCU advantage to 66-62 with 38 seconds left. Hunter made two free throws on the next Furman possession before Steger made one of two free throws for a 67-64 Catamount advantage with 27 seconds left. Lyon tied the game on a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left and Matt Halvorsen’s game-winning attempt clanked off the rim, sending the game into overtime. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Hunter gave the Paladins a 76-71 lead on a layup with 2:23 to play in the first overtime. WCU drew within three, 76-73, thanks to a Dotson layup with just over two minutes left and tied the game at 76 on a Gibson 3-pointer with 1:29 to go. Neither team made a shot for the remainder of the first overtime. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Lyons’ 3-pointer gave the Paladins an 82-78 lead just over a minute into the second overtime frame. The Catamounts evened the slate at 82 before a Tre Clark layup ignited a 7-0 run for an 89-82 lead with 33 seconds left. Layups by Dotson and D.J. Myers brought the Catamounts within three, 89-86, with nine seconds remaining. Hunter made the first of two free throw attempts for a 90-86 lead. Gosselin made a layup with 0.1 seconds left but Furman successfully put the ball in bounds to secure the win. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Furman went 34-for-73 (46.6 percent) from the field, 7-for-28 (25 percent) from behind the arc and 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) at the free throw line. Western Carolina finished 33-for-80 (41.3 percent) from the field, 10-for-37 (27 percent) from behind the 3-point line and 12-for-23 (52.2 percent) at the charity stripe. The Paladins outrebounded WCU 53-45. “according to http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211782491

Tip-off is set for 7:00pm from James T. Valvano @ William Neal Reynolds Coliseum. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra. “according to https://gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball