North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Closes Out Non-Conference Schedule
1/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BY TONY HAYNES
Raleigh, N.C. – After tonight, there will be no turning back for the Wolfpack. To follow will be 15 grueling and challenging games against ACC competition before the league visits Tampa for the annual ACC Tournament in March.
But before setting its sights on a meeting with Boston College on Saturday, the Wolfpack would dearly love to reach the 10 victory plateau by knocking off UNC Greensboro this evening. The game, which begins at 7:02 p.m. at the RBC Center, will be the Pack’s third straight against one of its UNC system neighbors.
On Thursday, NC State rallied past East Carolina 64-57 before putting together a more complete game in a 72-51 triumph over UNC Wilmington on Saturday.
“UNC Greensboro is a good team and we need to put together another good game,” said Wolfpack forward Brandon Costner. “We need to put two good halves together and not have any mental lapses so we can get another win going into Boston College.”
Costner and NC State center Ben McCauley have been the stars of late for the Pack. Costner, a redshirt freshman, had a monster game on Saturday, tallying career highs for points with 27 and rebounds with 19. McCauley added 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
McCauley has been stellar since the exam break in mid-December, averaging 21 points per game, while shooting 67 percent (33-of-49) from the floor over his last four games.
Just as importantly, he and Costner have worked together well, often looking for each other on the offensive end of the court.
“I feel like we have a really good thing going,” Costner said. “We know where each other are going to be on the court and we just look for each other. When we draw double-teams from the opposition, we just look for the mismatches and throw it inside.”
After dropping six of its first eight games, UNC Greensboro has righted the ship, winning six of eight and four in a row. Most recently, coach Mike Dement’s Spartans defeated Georgia Southern over the weekend, 68-47. UNCG also drilled Wofford by 23 points earlier in the year, the same Wofford team that pushed NC State to the limit in its season opener.
Thus far, preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Kyle Hines is living up to the hype, averaging 21.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Hines, a 6-6 junior forward, owns the school record for career double-doubles with 27. He has six this season.
Tickets Available: Tickets are available for tonight’s game and can be purchased for $10 at the NC State ticket office until 4:30 or ordered online at Gopack.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the RBC Center box office prior to the game. The box office opens at 6 p.m.
Lowe Show: A reminder that the Sidney Lowe Radio Show will air live from the food court at Crabtree Valley Mall from 8-9 p.m. tomorrow night. The show will return to its regular 8-9 time slot on Monday night of next week.
