NC State featured five players in double digits and made an impressive 12 three-pointers to blow out Furman at PNC Arena on Tuesday.
NC State sophomore shooting guard Terquavion Smith had a game-high 24 points to lead the Wolfpack in the 92-73 victory. Redshirt junior wing Casey Morsell had a hot first half with 12 of his 17 points and he went 4 of 9 on three-pointers.
NC State improved to 9-3 overall and Furman fell to 7-4, but NCSU coach Kevin Keatts expects the Paladins to do well in the Southern Conference.
“It is nerve-wracking to schedule a team like Furman,” Keatts said. “They are picked to win their league. From the outside, fans are not familiar with Furman, so they think all of a sudden you are supposed to beat them.”
NC State made sure there wasn’t much drama Tuesday due in part to a renewed emphasis of being tougher. He saw progress against Furman.
“What I was bothered by at the Miami game was the lack of toughness both physically and mentally,” Keatts said. “It wasn’t so much physically. We did some uncharacteristic things. We didn’t guard the basketball. We had blow by’s. Our ball screen coverage wasn’t good.”
NCSU established early it could get whatever shot it wanted against Furman’s defense. NC State went on a 11-0 run to open a 26-10 lead with 11:52 left in the first half. NC State wasn’t sharp in the first half, but still built a commanding 48-29 lead at halftime.
Part of the first half dominance was forcing the Paladins to shoot 37.9 percent from the field and commit 14 of their 20 turnovers. NC State took advantage with a 15-5 advantage in points off turnovers and went 7 of 16 on three-pointers in the first half.
NC State was sparked by freshman point guard L.J. Thomas off the bench. He came alive, especially on the defensive end with four first-half steals, during his first half. Thomas, who just finished his first college semester, had 14 points, two three-pointers and five rebounds in 17 minutes.
The Atlanta area product was working out with his dad at this time last year. He knows what the game meant. He said there was some rust to shake off after not playing basketball last year.
“I say that I always have confidence but I just have to come in and play hard and make things happen,” Thomas said.
The team has created a tradition that whenever a player reaches a new career high in points, they get doused in water. Thomas half-joked that he “almost drowned.”
“I love L.J. and that is my guy,” NC State senior point guard Jarkel Joiner said. “L.J. is the best teammate you could have. He gives us troubles whenever we are scouting the other team. He works his butt off.
“If you have a career high, we are going to get you [with water].”
Thomas has stayed ready, even though he’s not always sure if he’s going to play. He didn’t get any minutes in the loss at Miami (Fla.) on Saturday, but Keatts realizes that playing Smith and Joiner a high volume of minutes each game isn’t a good alternative.
“He did a great job coming in with a career high,” Keatts said. “He played with poise. He made some good shots and drove the basket. I thought he did a really good job.”
Furman made just 9 of 32 from three-point land and had 20 turnovers in the game, 14 of which came in the first half. The Paladins had a nice 11-0 run during the first half to cut the score to 26-21, but otherwise were flat.
Four-Star Isaiah Miranda Joins Roster
NC State returns to action against Vanderbilt at 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Chicago.
Freshman post player Isaiah Miranda of Pawtucket, R.I., could be eligible for the contest, after arriving this past Monday. He had committed and signed Dec. 5.
“I am so excited to have him,” Keatts said. “He is a talented young man coming in. I want everybody to remember he is a high school kid that is coming into a program that is already going for a while. We took a foreign trip and he runs the floor.”
Rivals.com ranked Miranda the No. 28 overall player in the 2023 class. He is now No. 30 in the class of 2022. He picked up at least 20 offers in the recruiting process. He played last year at Springfield (Mass.) Commonwealth High, and then was expected to play as a post-graduate at Southern California Academy in Santa Clarita, Calif. He averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per game last year.
“He runs the floor, he can block shots and he has a skill level that is really good,” Keatts said. “He’s a legitimate in my opinion a top 30 player in the country. I don’t know when he’ll play. We are going to ease him in.”
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