North Carolina State University Athletics
Fresno State Pounds the Pack, 82-63
11/22/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
North Carolina State's Anthony Grundy
looks for an open man as Fresno State's Dennis Nathan (0) defends. (AP Photo/Matthew Cavanaugh) |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass (Nov. 22) --In its last basketball game before Thanksgiving, NC State was in a very generous mood. Naturally, Fresno State gave thanks for the generosity and went on to post an 82-63 victory over the Wolfpack in the annual Hall of Fame TipOff Classic.
This one was almost over before it got started. Six Pack turnovers in the first four minutes and 12 seconds led directly to an 11-0 Fresno State lead. Scrapping their normal fullcourt pressure in favor of an aggressive half court defensive strategy, the Bulldogs did an effective job of contesting passes and shutting off driving lanes.
"As much as you could credit Fresno for the kind of pressure they applied, we didn't do the things that we do every day," said Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek. "We didn't play with the same kind of sureness on offense that we did the first couple of games."
Coming in, the Pack (1-2) had averaged less than 10 turnovers in its first two games. On Wednesday, however, it took NC State no time to surpass its average.
After three straight layups by center Melvin Ely put Fresno ahead 11-0, the Wolfpack finally broke the ice when Guard Archie Miller nailed a three-pointer to get NC State on the board.
North Carolina State's Ron Kelly passes around
Fresno State's Melvin Ely in the first half.(AP Photo/Matthew Cavanaugh) |
But then the Bulldogs (2-1) went on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to grab their biggest lead of the opening half at 22-5. Late in the first period, NC State tried to make a game of it. A driving layup by Cliff Crawford brought the Pack within seven at the 7:09 mark.
Then Fresno State took full control by outscoring NC State 19-11 over the last six minutes. The final dagger was applied by guard Demetrius Porter, who nailed a three-point bomb at the horn to give the Bulldogs a 43-28 lead at the break.
"We just couldn't stop them early on," said Wolfpack freshman Scooter Sherrill, who finished with eight points. "They got a big lead and we made some runs, but it just wasn't enough."
When the dust had settled in the first half, NC State had turned the ball over 16 times-miscues that led to 24 Fresno State points.
In the second half, the Pack never really mounted a threat. A dunk by Chris Jeffries, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds, put Fresno State out in front 60-39 with 14:51 showing on the clock. NC State would get no closer than 12 the rest of the way.
"You wouldn't have believed it if you would have seen us on Sunday," said Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian, who watched his team get clobbered at home by St. Boneventure last weekend. "I wasn't sure we'd win another game all year. I've got great respect for Herb Sendek and North Carolina State. I didn't think we'd be able to do this."
Taking advantage of turnovers that led to easy baskets, Fresno State shot 51 percent from the floor. Meanwhile, the Pack continued to struggle on the offensive end, hitting just 22-of-56 shots for 39.3 percent.
Guard Anthony Grundy led NC State with 12 points on a six of 14 shooting night. The only other Pack player in double figures was point guard Clifford Crawford, who finished with 11.
Sophomore forward Damien Wilkins (eight points) had another sub-par game offensively, going just 3-of-15.
"Certainly he's able to play much better than he has the first couple of games," Sendek said of Wilkins. "We need to make sure we let him know that we're still in his corner and that we're sticking with him."
The starting frontline of Wilkins, Kenny Inge and Ron Kelley was just six of 23 for the game.
Fresno State placed five players in double figures on Wednesday. Although Jeffries led the way with his 19 points, he got a lot of help along the way. Ely had 17 while the starting guard tandem of Porter and Dennis Nathan had 13 apiece. Three-point specialist Travis Demanby added 10 off the bench.
