NC State hoops makes big plays in clutch
Casey Morsell and Dereon Seabron came up big down the stretch to help NC State win 77-74 and withstand the push from Colgate on Saturday at PNC Arena.
Colgate is coming off a year where they finished 14-2 and gave Arkansas quite the scare in the NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack knew what they were getting in this team, and they welcomed the challenge.
“Playing a team like Colgate, they test our discipline,” Morsell said. “They were very smart, very fundamental. They showed us we got to stay locked in, lock in on the scouting report. We grew from this.”
NCSU coach Kevin Keatts echoed what Morsell said, “They’re a tournament team. I scheduled this game because I wanted to challenge our guys. They answered.”
Down three, Colgate senior Oliver Lynch-Daniels attacked the paint. As he drew the help defense he kicked it out senior teammate Tucker Richardson. Richardson calmly knocked down his first three of the night, he finished 1-5 from beyond the arc, to tie the game at 74-74 with 8 seconds to go.
NC State quickly called a time-out and drew up a play to get the ball in sophomore Seabron’s hands, in space to attack downhill.
“If I got a ball screen in the middle of the court, I knew I could get to the rim,” Seabron said after the game. “They went under the screen, and with them trailing I knew I could beat them to the rim.”
Seabron beat his man, absorbed the contact, and created the shooting foul. With two seconds left on the clock, the 6-foot-7 forward knocked down his 20th and 21st point of the night.
“A game like this helps up with composure, closing out a game down the stretch,” Seabron said. “We knew they were older so we had to withstand it.”
Seabron finished with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field. He also added ten rebounds and three assists. This was Seabron’s third double-double of his career and his second such game of the season.
“Dereon brings versatility and toughness,” Morsell said. “He can guard every position on the court. Offensively, he is so good at getting in the paint. He is versatile and playing aggressive and that is what we need from him.”
NC State was tested in this one. They are a young team. Jericole Hellems is the lone senior in the starting lineup, Seabron, Cam Hayes, and Ebenezer Dowuona are each sophomores, and Virginia transfer Morsell is a junior.
“Our team is tough,” Morsell said. “We are still trying to figure things out, especially with Manny going out. We are constantly trying to adjust. We need to figure things out on the defensive end, but at the end of the day we found a way.”
Keatts was also pleased with the way his guys closed out the game.
“I think the biggest thing is that every possession matters,” Keatts said, “You have to lock in and execute and get stops. We always talk about winning the four-minute stretches, and our guys won the four-minute stretch.”
Morsell led all scorers with 22 points. He was 6-of-9 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 8-10 from the free-throw line. Most importantly Morsell was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the second half.
“I think it is his confidence,” Keatts said. “Even though Morsell has played a lot of basketball, he is still in a new system. He had a good second half against Bucknell and I think that has carried over into practice and now this game. He made some big plays and some big shots down the stretch for us.”
Four Wolfpack players finished in double figures as Morsell led all scorers with 22 points. Seabron added 21, freshman Terquavion Smith had 12 and Hayes finished with 10 points. For Colgate, it was senior Nelly Cummings who led the way with 19 points. Jeff Woodward added 14 points, Jack Ferguson had 13, and Lynch-Daniels knocked in 11 points.
NC State moves to 2-0 on the season. The Wolfpack will next travel up to Ucasville, Conn. on Tuesday to play a neutral site game against Central Connecticut State at 8 p.m. The game will be streamed on FloSports.
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