Terry Henderson hit four early three-pointers to set the tone against Fairfield’s zone defense, but never truly cooled off.

“If that is how they want to play, that is on them,” Henderson said. “Teams have to pick their poison. In man-to-man, you have guard Dennis Smith Jr. You have to be ready.”

The fifth-year senior shooting guard took care of business on both ends of the court to propel NC State to a 99-78 victory in front of 15,564 fans at PNC Arena. Henderson drained 6 of 10 from beyond the arc en route to 25 points, and added seven rebounds for good measure. Henderson made four three-pointers in the first 6:58 of the game.

Henderson also took his usual turn at defending against the opposing team’s top perimeter scorer, which in this game was Fairfield junior combo guard Tyler Nelson. Henderson proved to be busy on both ends, with Nelson going 8 of 19 from the field (5 of 13 on three-pointers) for 23 points. Henderson enjoys the challenge of locking horns with talented scorers.

“That is just something you have to embrace,” Henderson said. “I accepted the challenge, but he made a couple of tough shots over our bigs, a couple of tough threes and some wide open threes. He’s a good player.”

Henderson has scored at least 21 points in three of the last four games, and NC State head coach Mark Gottfried credited his confidence for the recent stretch.

“I think his teammates really believe in him too and hunt for him and find him,” Gottfried said. “He is making big shots for us, he is defending pretty well for us and he is doing a lot of things for our team.”

Henderson’s basketball IQ helps him be able to guard a wide variety of players and is “like a clinic” on defense.

“He picks up what you are teaching and picks up a scouting report and knows how to defend,” Gottfried said. “Today, he was guarding Nelson, but there were other times he was our helper at the rim and did a great job there.”

NC State previously played against a zone defense in its 77-73 win over Boston University. Henderson had 23 points and four three-pointers in that win. One big difference is that the rest of the team made three three-pointers against the Terriers.

Henderson got plenty of help against Fairfield with freshman point guard Smith smoothly knocking in 5 of 7 from three-point land for 17 points (plus nine assists), and sophomore small forward Maverick Rowan came off the bench and made 2 of 5 from beyond the arc. NCSU finished shooting 13 of 25 on three-pointers for 52 percent, and shot 53.1 percent overall from the field.

“I thought our ball movement really helped us get good shots,” Gottfried said. “Everybody moved it pretty well.

“I thought we moved it pretty well [previously vs. Boston], but we didn’t make as many shots. When you make shots, everything looks better.”

NC State junior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu went to work in the paint to start off the second half, and it worked.

Abu overpowered the Fairfield post players and showed signs that he was snapping out of his mini-funk of late. Abu went a combined 3 of 10 from the field for eight points and nine rebounds in wins over Boston University and Tennessee State, causing pause for concern. He chipped in 11 points and four rebounds against Appalachian State, but he started to find his groove against Fairfield.

Abu had a big follow-up dunk in the first half, and then he had the two strong post-ups previously alluded to in the second half. Just as important, he avoided foul trouble, which has been a season-long concern, and finished with just one foul.

“I’ve been going through the ups and downs, but staying in the gym,” Abu said. “I’ve just been waiting for my moments.”

Gottfried said with the emergence of freshman center Omer Yurtseven, who can work the mid-range area, Abu will have more post-up opportunities in high-lows. Abu finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists against the Stags.

Gottfried knew Abu could simply jump up and finish over the smaller Fairfield lineup.

“Malik hasn’t played well, but today was better,” Gottfried said. “He concentrated around the rim and got the ball in the basket and he made the mid-range jump shot.”

NC State had its second game with Yurtseven, and some of the bench substitutions reflected an altered roster.

Gottfried admitted after the game that he’d like to play Rowan and freshman point guard Markell Johnson more minutes, but it won’t be easy. Rowan played 14 minutes and Johnson 12, with playing time coming at the expense of redshirt sophomore Torin Dorn.

“That is going to depend on how well they play,” Gottfried said. “It’s a good problem for us to have.”

Dorn played at least 31 minutes in every game — plus four games of at least 37 minutes — prior to Yurtseven being eligible against Appalachian State on Dec. 15. Dorn logged 25 minutes against Appalachian State and 24 against Fairfield.

Henderson noticed that things went a little smoother in the substitution flow.

“Everybody knows what to expect from each other and as long as we hold each other accountable, we should be fine,” Henderson said.

Gottfried hopes the nine-man rotation will lead to improved defensive results.

“I think it will help our defense more than anything, and they understand it,” Gottfried said. “They have to play hard and play well, especially defenses with no lapses. That will help us become a better team.”

The four post players played at least 11 minutes, with Yurtseven leading the way with 28, followed by Abu at 22. The latter said he knows he won’t have to play tired.

“I like it a lot, and we’ll probably play a deeper rotation than at any time I’ve been here before,” Abu said. “It gives you the opportunity to stay fresh and root on your teammates.”

Abu said the mindset on the bench has changed, knowing all four post players will get their chance.

“We are making the transition to cheering because Omer scores, B.J. [Anya] scores, Ted [Kapita] scores and I can score,” Abu said. “He is playing everybody.”