UNCW Next Up For Wolfpack

BY TONY HAYNES

Raleigh, N.C. -- When the buzzer sounded signaling the end of NC State’s come-from-behind 64-57 victory over East Carolina on Thursday night, the Wolfpack was officially only some 39 hours away from its next game. That particular set of circumstances doesn’t necessarily sound ideal for a team that had each of its five starters log 36 or more minutes in the pressure-packed struggle against the Pirates.

Next up is a noon meeting on Saturday with another in-state opponent in UNC Wilmington. Will it be difficult to get ready for another game in less than 48 hours?

“Na, it’s never tough to get ready to play basketball,” shrugged Pack forward Brandon Costner, who scored all 12 of his points in the second half of Thursday night’s win.

And while NC State will be making a quick turnaround on Saturday, UNC Wilmington will be playing its first game in two weeks. The Seahawks (3-6) haven’t seen action falling at Toledo 77-74 back on December 16.

“It’s a great opportunity and an exciting time for our guys,” said first-year head coach Benny Moss. “In some ways, the layoff has been good for our team. We’ve had some time to look at some of our weaknesses and focus on getting better.”

Moss and his staff have also had time to watch an NC State team that has often struggled to deal with the absence of senior point guard Engin Atsur, who has missed seven straight games with a hamstring pull. After turning the ball over 32 times in a loss at Cincinnati on Saturday, the Wolfpack was again loose with the ball in the opening 20 minutes versus ECU, suffering 11 turnovers against a packed-in 2-3 zone defense.

But after Sidney Lowe shifted the positioning of his backcourt, moving Gavin Grant to the shooting guard spot and putting Courtney Fells at the top of the East Carolina zone, the Wolfpack’s ball movement improved and its turnovers dissipated. NC State had only two turnovers in the second half against the Pirates.

When it was facing mostly man-to-man defenses though its first 11 games, NC State was getting good shots out of its man offense and shooting nearly 51 percent from the floor. But against an ECU team that stayed committed to playing zone for the entire 40 minutes, the Wolfpack had a difficult time finding an offensive rhythm, especially in the first half.

“We felt a little rusty [against the zone],” Costner said. “It’s frustrating when people don’t want to play us man because we run our stuff so well. They packed it in so much and tried to confuse us, but once we got the hang of the zone, we attacked it pretty well and got the shots we wanted.”

Costner played 38 minutes on Thursday, while Grant logged 39, Ben McCauley 36, Dennis Horner 37 and Fells the entire 40 minutes. The Packed was stretched thin not only because Atsur sat out again, but also due to the absence of redshirt freshman Trevor Ferguson who missed the game with the flu.

“We’re hoping he’s going to be ready,” Wolfpack head coach Sidney Lowe said when asked about Ferguson’s availability for the UNC Wilmington contest. “We’ll se how he feels and see who we have on Saturday. Around here, I don’t know who we’re going to have day-to-day. Whoever we have, we just have to go out and play.”

As for Saturday’s match-up, the Seahawks have a little more size inside than East Carolina. Vladimir Kuljanin, a 6-10, 265-pound center from Bosnia by way of Toronto, averages 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. In the loss to Toledo, Kuljanin made all 11 of his field goal attempts in a 23-pount outburst. UNC Wilmington is also getting 10 points per contest from guards Temi Soyebo and Daniel Fountain.

With 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win over ECU, NC State center Ben McCauley has scored 20 or more points in his last three games and leads the Wolfpack in scoring with a 16.2 average. Costner (15.7), Grant (14.5), and Fells (11.8) are also scoring in double-figures.

“What really concerns me is their talent level,” said Moss, a former assistant at Charlotte. “They can really score and pose some matchup problems for our guys. They are very good with offensive efficiency, so we’ll have to pressure them, even if it’s in the half court. They shoot over 50 percent from the floor, so guarding them will be the biggest key.”

NC State has won six of seven meetings with the Seahawks, with the only loss coming at Reynolds Coliseum in December of 1992.

Program Reminder: Because of the New Years holiday and Tuesday night’s game against UNC Greensboro, the Sidney Lowe Radio Show will again air on Wednesday night (1/3) of next week (8-9 p.m.), and will be staged live from the food court at Crabtree Valley Mall. The show will return to its regular 8-9 time slot on Monday, January 8.

North Carolina State University Athletics

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