NC State
Florida A&M
NC State Rips Rattlers, 92-62
11/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.--The final stat line showed Mike O'Donnell scoring 11 points to go along with six assists and four steals. Too bad the final box didn't include categories for floor burns and hustle plays. Energized by its diminutive freshman from Largo, Florida, 25th ranked NC State rushed out to a big early lead and coasted to a 92-62 victory over Florida A&M (0-3) in front of 11,612 fans at the RBC Center Friday night. With Scooter Sherrill scoring 22 points on a 9-of-12 shooting touch and Julius Hodge adding 16, the Wolfpack pushed its record to 3-0 heading into next week's ACC/Big 10 Challenge.
And while there were plenty of gaudy numbers to throw around from a high-octane contest that featured plenty of end-to-end action, the player who drew the most appreciation from the crowd was the scrappy O'Donnell, who sparked the Pack to a comfortable 56-27 advantage at the half. During many of NC State's first half spurts - and there were many -- O'Donnell always seemed to be in the middle of the action creating turnovers on defense and knocking down big 3's at the offensive end.
"He was sensational," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "He gives you everything he has. If you can't get excited watching Mike O'Donnell play, you don't have a pulse. His hustle was inspiring. It's hard not to play hard when you're around him. He's remarkable; I'm so glad he's with us."
O'Donnell had two steals, an assist and a 3-point basket over the first three-plus minutes when the Wolfpack jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead. Late in the opening half, the Wolfpack really turned it on with a 13-0 blitz that made it 43-20 with 4:56 left. The run started with an O'Donnell three off an assist from Hodge. Sherrill then added another shot from behind the arc, followed by yet another from Levi Watkins.
The first half ended with NC State outscoring the run and gun Rattlers 14-4 to grab a commanding 29-point lead. The Wolfpack shot a sizzling 62.9 percent in the first 20 minutes and was 8-of-14 from 3-point range.
"When we're flowing like that, it's really fun to play," said O'Donnell. "It's always fun to play, but especially when guys are hitting shots like that. The good thing about our team is that we're so unselfish. We make the extra pass and everybody plays hard."
But no one on the court played harder than O'Donnell, who finished the night with 21 deflections, an unofficial statistic kept on the State bench to reflect the number of times players get their hands on the ball playing defense. Many of O'Donnell's deflections led to easy baskets on the other end as NC State scored 22 fast break points in the first half compared to just two for the speedy Rattlers.
The Wolfpack's efficiency on offense in the opening half prevented Florida A&M from getting into the transition game it thrives on. As a result, the Rattlers shot just 22 percent and had 14 turnovers by the time the break had arrived.
"The best transition defense is a good offense," Sendek said. "When you take good shots and don't turn the ball over, it's easier to set up your defense."
Over its first two games, NC State averaged 71 points. On Friday night, it was already at its average when Sherrill dropped another long-range bomb with 14:39 remaining. From there, however, the game deteriorated into an unsightly showcase of missed shots and turnovers.
After turning the ball over nine times in the opening half, the Wolfpack finished with 22, while also allowing 16 second shots to the not always pretty, but persistent Rattlers.
"I thought we were good in the first half, but didn't maintain the same level of play in the second half," Sendek said. "A couple of areas on the stat sheet really jump out at us. Twenty-two turnovers is an inexcusable amount for our basketball team. Sixteen offensive rebounds given up is just too high a number."
Sendek was also befuddled by his club's failures at the free throw line. The ACC's top free throw shooting team last season, NC State was just 14-of-22 on Friday. Having already buried its third straight opponent by halftime, the Wolfpack once again let its guard down and lost its collective concentration, especially after its lead hit a game-high 40 points (82-42) at the midway point of the second half.
"It's human nature to relax," said O'Donnell. "You can't do that. If we get up by 20 against a team from the ACC, we can't be relaxing."
NC State didn't relax its defense on Florida A&M star Terrence Woods, who led all of college basketball in 3-point shooting last season. On Friday, however, the 6-3 Woods was just 3-of-9 from the arc to finish with 12 points. Tony Tate also reached double figures for the Rattlers with 11.
Along with the scoring efforts of Sherrill, Hodge and O'Donnell, Levi Watkins added 15 points and Marcus Melvin 13 for the Wolfpack, which will be on the road for the first time when it tangles with Michigan next Tuesday as part of the annual ACC/Big 10 Challenge.
