NC State wasn’t supposed to deal with real adversity until they played No. 3-ranked Arizona on Nov. 22 in the Bahamas.
The Wolfpack had easily dispatched their first three opponents — VMI, Charleston Southern and Bryant — by a winning margin of 26.7. Charleston Southern offered some resistance to start the game, but otherwise, NC State had pretty smooth sailing.
Thursday’s opponent Presbyterian was supposed to fit that script. Presbyterian featured four players from North Carolina high schools, but a fifth was absent against NCSU. Sophomore forward Jo’Vontae Millner, who was the top returning scorer (10.8 points) and rebounder (5.6) from last year’s team, is originally from Burlington (N.C.) Cummings High.
NC State dominated the second half to win 86-68, but definitely struggled against the Blue Hose in the first half.
NC State led 28-21 with 8:54 left in the first half and that lead evaporated quickly. Presbyterian went on a 15-1 run to take a 36-29 lead with 4:37 left in the first half. The listed attendance of 13,422 fans at PNC Arena were left stunned. The Blue Hose led 44-36 at halftime and NC State needed to regroup.
Presbyterian, who went 5-25 last year, shot an impressive 60 percent from the field in the first half and went 5 of 10 from three-point land.
NC State needed a jolt in the second half, and its fullcourt press provided one. NCSU only needed about 6 ½ minutes to erase the deficit, taking a 51-49 lead with 13:34 left. Presbyterian centers Armel TeTe and Francois Lewis both got into deep foul trouble, with TeTe fouling out with 13:47 left in the game.
“We just played the passing lanes well and got deflections, and deflections lead to steals,” NC State sophomore point guard Markell Johnson said. “That is how we came up a winner.”
With the defense energized by the varying pressure the Wolfpack was putting on, the offense started to go inside to centers Lennard Freeman and Omer Yurtseven against the undersized Blue Hose. Freeman set his career high for the third time in four games, going for 23 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. The fifth-year senior went 9 of 12 from the field and 5 of 6 at the free-throw line.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Freeman about always topping his previous career high. “I don’t want to speak too soon, but you all are getting carried away with the ‘Lennard Buckets’ thing. Anything with buckets has a good ring to it. We just have to keep playing hard and keep getting better.”
Freeman missed last year after surgery to help alleviate issues in his shin. During the time off, he went to work on his free-throw stroke.
Freeman went 80 of 167 at the free-throw line for 47.9 percent during his first three seasons at NC State. He has made 19 of 23 through his first four games this season.
“I wasn’t able to run and jump, so I had to touch a basketball and I was just in there shooting free throws,” Freeman said. “The hard work has translated to the games. I’m a lot more comfortable. That is summer work and rehab work.”
Yurtseven also took advantage of several lobs from Johnson (seven assists], and went 5 of 7 for 11 points in 14 minutes.
“We knew they wouldn’t want to foul us again,” Freeman said. “I told O, ‘Look who is checking you. He got three, four fouls, he’s not going to want to foul you.’ When you are going in there, just be strong.”
The winning formula led to a 50-24 advantage in the second half, sparked by 15 second-half turnovers by the Blue Hose.
“He [Keatts] was just saying that we aren’t playing hard, not defending and we aren’t getting back to our old self and what got us here,” said Freeman about Keatts’ halftime speech.
Freshman Lavar Batts Jr. Provides Energetic Spark
NC State always knows what freshman point guard Lavar Batts Jr. will give them — energy.
Batts was a major presence in the fullcourt press, causing havoc in helping turn the game around for the Wolfpack. His final numbers might seem modest, but he chipped in six points, two assists and an impressive three steals in just 16 minutes of action.
“I thought the young fella Lavar came in and kind of changed the game,” Keatts said. “He had great energy and he did a great job.”
The former Concord (N.C.) Robinson High standout had a team-high plus-24 for his plus/minus. The statistic means that NC State was 24 points better than Presbyterian when Batts was in the game.
“Lavar came off the bench and was a good spark on defense and the press,” Johnson said. “He’s all day [energy].”
Freeman gave Batts the “pest” moniker for what he gets done defensively.
“[Our guards] are just trying to wear down the other guards and trying to turn them over,” Freeman said. “When they actually do turn them over, it’s fun and we get quick buckets. We turn the lead around real quick from being down eight to being up 10.”
Three-Point Shooting Potentially Suffering From Tired Legs
Keatts blamed tired legs for the Wolfpack shooting just 1 of 13 on three-pointers. Fifth-year senior Allerik Freeman ended the drought when he made a three-pointer with 8:48 left to extend the lead to 64-53.
NC State also shot poorly from deep against Bryant on Tuesday, going 3 of 18, but wasn’t as much of an issue due to a 95-72 win.
The Wolfpack are just 19 of 72 for 26.4 percent through four games, entering the contest tied for 246th in the country in three-pointers made per game. Freeman and fifth-year senior shooting guard Sam Hunt have six three-pointers apiece.
“I think it’s the fourth game in seven days,” Keatts said. “We shoot the ball a lot better. We didn’t shot it well on Tuesday either. I think playing that many games in a short amount of time is why we missed a lot from three.”
Johnson admitted that he felt fatigue during the game Thursday.
“I feel kind of tired, kind of exhausted,” Johnson said. “I’ll bounce back and be ready for the Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 22).”
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