NC State Opens The Barclays Center Classic With St. Francis Brooklyn In Raleigh

On Saturday the Barclays Center Classic will get underway when NC State hosts St. Francis Brooklyn.

NC State who is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference comes into the game with a record of 2-1 while St. Francis Brooklyn who is a member of the Northeast Conference comes into the game with a record of 1-2.

As for NC State’s previous game,

The NC State men's basketball team (2-1, 0-1) defeated FIU (1-2, 0-0) 86-77 on Wednesday night at PNC Arena, led by C.J. Bryce's 16-point, seven-rebound performance. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

Six players scored in double figures for the Wolfpack (Bryce, Devon Daniels - 14 points, Pat Andree - 14 points, D.J. Funderburk - 11 points, Markell Johnson - 10 points and Manny Bates - 10 points). It marked the first time the feat has been accomplished since November of 2017 (VMI).”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

Bryce and Daniels were the catalysts of NC State's offense in the second half with 12 points and 10 points, respectively.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

With the game knotted up coming out of the halftime break, NC State weathered a quick 5-0 Panther run at the start of the second 20 minutes. The Pack's defense came to play, forcing 17 second-half turnovers.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

NC State ratcheted up the intensity on the defensive end in the final 10 minutes of action. FIU turned the ball over eight times in five minutes, and over that time, the Pack extended its lead to eight points. NC State took its first double-digit lead of the game (70-60) with six minutes remaining to give the squad a cushion the rest of the way.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

Bench points and the Pack's effort on the offensive glass boosted the team, as the support squad outscored FIU's 39-10. NC State turned 18 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points, compared to the Panthers' six offensive rebounds for seven second-chance points. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

Funderburk and Bates led the attack on the glass with six and five offensive rebounds, respectively. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

The uptempo pace of the first half led to a game of runs that evened itself out at 37 after the opening 20 minutes of play. FIU opened with a 9-2 lead thanks to a 9-0 run, but Andree sparked the squad off the bench with four three-pointers over a three-minute span. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

NC State will remain in North Carolina’s state capital when they host St. Francis. The only thing that will be different is where the game will be played. Instead of being in action at PNC Arena for the first two games of the Barclays Center Classic they will be played at Reynolds Coliseum where the Women’s Basketball team plays their home games. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/13/mens-basketball-strong-second-half-lifts-nc-state-past-fiu-86-77.aspx

Unlike NC State St. Francis Brooklyn lost their previous game,

The St. Francis College Brooklyn men's basketball team (1-2) was topped by Longwood (3-1), 86-77, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Thursday night in Farmville, VA. Despite the defeat, the Terriers' offense produced 77 points behind four players scoring in double figures. “according to https://sfcathletics.com/news/2019/11/14/mens-basketball-terriers-topped-by-longwood-in-high-scoring-contest-down-south.aspx

Tonight's game marked the second in a row that the Terriers scored 70-plus points (defeated Lafayette, 73-72, on Nov. 9). It was the first time this season that St. Francis had four players score in double-digits in a game. Eight of the 10 players that saw action this evening recorded points for the Terriers.”according to https://sfcathletics.com/news/2019/11/14/mens-basketball-terriers-topped-by-longwood-in-high-scoring-contest-down-south.aspx

Longwood led for the duration of the contest, but St. Francis showed plenty of fight. Every time the Lancers attempted to pull away in the game, the Terriers responded and kept within striking distance.”according to https://sfcathletics.com/news/2019/11/14/mens-basketball-terriers-topped-by-longwood-in-high-scoring-contest-down-south.aspx

Freshman guard Rob Higgins and sophomore guard Stevan Krtinic provided a spark for the Terriers in the second half as the duo combined for 21 points. Higgins registered 11 points in the half, while Krtinic registered 10.”according to https://sfcathletics.com/news/2019/11/14/mens-basketball-terriers-topped-by-longwood-in-high-scoring-contest-down-south.aspx

With 10:28 remaining in the game and the Terriers trailing by 12, Krtinic converted a four-point play to bring the Terriers within eight. After back-to-back defensive stops by St. Francis, Higgins drilled a three-pointer to cut the lead to five. The five-point deficit would be the narrowest that the Terriers would cut the lead in the second half as Longwood matched St. Francis down the stretch to come away with the win. “according to https://sfcathletics.com/news/2019/11/14/mens-basketball-terriers-topped-by-longwood-in-high-scoring-contest-down-south.aspx

HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 77 | Longwood – 86

• Graduate guard Unique McLean finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out three assists in 31 minutes of play. The guard has scored in double-figures in two out of his first three games as a Terrier and has pulled down seven rebounds or more in all three contests.

• Junior guard Chauncey Hawkins also poured in 13 points and totaled a season-high four assists in 34 minutes. The junior shot 5-of-11 from the floor, drew six fouls which was tied for the team-high, and swiped a pair of steals. Hawkins has scored in double-digits in all three games thus far for the Terriers.

• Higgins tallied a career-high 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in 21 minutes of play off the bench. Higgins scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half of play as he went 3-of-6 from the floor.

• Krtinic added an early season-best with 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field and went 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Like Higgins, Krtinic did almost all of his damage in the second half as he recorded 10 points in the closing frame.

• As a team, the Terriers shot a season-best 50.9 percent from the field and shot 60.7 percent from the floor in the first half, which also marked their best shooting half of the season.

• The Lancers were led by guard Lorenzo Phillips as he scored a game-high 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and went 3-of-5 from three-point range. Jaylon Wilson added 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting for Longwood.

  “according to https://sfcathletics.com/news/2019/11/14/mens-basketball-terriers-topped-by-longwood-in-high-scoring-contest-down-south.aspx

  Tip-off is set for 12:00pm from Reynolds Coliseum. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra.