N.C. State junior forward Tracy Smith started the second half by grabbing his right quadriceps, grimacing as if it was causing him discomfort. Smith exited the game at the 12-minute mark, and a trainer worked on his leg while Smith sat on the bench.
Smith headed for the locker room at the 11:45 mark, walking off as if he was in pain. He returned to the bench four minutes later and entered the game with 7:44 remaining.
He posted up as usual, even grabbing rebounds, but during timeouts he was noticeably favoring his right thigh, rubbing it and grimacing.
"I think it's like a bad thigh bruise," said Smith, who said Elon's Adam Constantine kneed him in the first half.
Elon's roster featured four players from North Carolina, including three players from the Raleigh area: the senior Constantine (Enloe), sophomore center Daniel Watts (Green Hope) and freshman guard Aaron Smith (Cardinal Gibbons).
Thursday's game marked the return of Wolfpack junior guard Javier Gonzalez, who missed his first game of the season last week with a hamstring injury. He finished with seven points and five assists in 20 minutes of play. N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe wanted him to ease back into playing and used him sparingly.
