North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Elon
Physical Play Sparks Wolfpack Comeback
1/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2011
GREENSBORO, N.C. --- Led by C.J. Leslie’s 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, NC State shook off a hot-starting Elon squad to win 87-72 at the Greensboro Coliseum Wednesday night.
Freshman Ryan Harrow followed Leslie with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 from the line, alongside four assists and three steals.
Tracy Smith’s 15 points, Scott Wood’s 13, and Richard Howell’s 10 gave NC State five players in double figures on the night, the third time pulling the feat this season.
“It was a hard-fought ballgame,” said NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. “They were a scrappy team, a smart team, but our guys did a good job in the second half defensively to get the win. I thought our energy was good, we got stops and got baskets when we needed to.”
The Pack improved in nearly all facets of the game in the second half, battling back from as much as a 10-point first-half deficit to run away from Elon down the stretch.
“It’s my job to bring energy,” said freshman forward C.J. Leslie, “and that’s what I tried to do. In the second half, we knew that we had to take away their threes and we would win the ball game.”
NC State ramped up the defensive intensity, holding Elon under 30% shooting from the field in the second half, and outscoring the Phoenix 50-31, while also shooting 15-of-18 from the line after a dismal 9-of-18 total in the first half.
“We knew going in that they were a very good three-point shooting team,” said freshman point guard Ryan Harrow. “We just tried to get up on them a little tighter in the second half.”
The deciding factor was NC State’s prowess in the paint, which constituted a 44-18 points in the paint advantage for the visiting Pack.
NC State grabbed control of the game early in the second half, establishing their first lead of the game on an 11-3 run over the first three minutes, and taking a 53-49 lead into the first media timeout.
The Wolfpack extended the lead beyond 10 with 6:36 to play as Tracy Smith’s three-point play put NC State up 72-61. Smith scored seven of the team’s eight points between 8:52 and 6:36.
Elon jumped out to an early 8-1 lead by hitting their first two three point attempts of the game.
Elon’s hot shooting continued as they grabbed a 24-16 lead, converting on 5-of-7 three pointers over the first eight minutes. The Phoenix would finish the half shooting a 50% clip, going 6-of-12 as a team from beyond the arc.
NC State trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, but battled back by establishing an inside presence and applying defensive pressure. The Pack held Elon scoreless for 5:37 to string together a 9-0 run that tightened the score to 26-25 and outscored the Phoenix 20-6 in the paint over the first 20 minutes.
At the half, Elon nursed a 41-37 lead after shooting 60.9% from the field and going a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line.
