Pack's Kufuor has his moment

RALEIGH -- There were fun moments in the second half of N.C. State's unusual 77-42 win over N.C. Central on Saturday afternoon.

A forceful, two-handed slam by freshman Josh Davis and a wobbly dunk, while being fouled, by 7-footer Jordan Vandenberg gave the crowd of 2,217, who braved the icy roads and winter weather, reason to celebrate.

But it was a steal and layup by popular walk-on Enrico Kufuor with 1:15 left that will leave a lasting impression from the Wolfpack's final nonconference game of the season. Or at least it will in State's locker room.

"He's going to be talking about that one," said State forward Tracy Smith, who did the heavy lifting for the Wolfpack with a game-high 23 points.

Kufuor was one of 13 N.C. State players to score and 14 on the roster to get into the lopsided win.

The crowd erupted with Vandenberg's dunk attempt at 4:00, which gave State a 66-38 lead.

N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe expected a low turnout, given the weather, but appreciated the fans that made it.

"The fans that were here, I heard them," Lowe said.

The Eagles (4-19), winless in 19 games against Division I opponents, made the Wolfpack (14-8) work for the end-game amusement, though.

Mixing a 2-3 zone and a full-court press in the first half, N.C. Central led for more than 13 minutes to start the game and by as many as seven in the first half.

In what has been a tough season for the Eagles, ranked No. 345 in the RPI, the first 13 minutes qualify as a highlight for coach LeVelle Moton's first team.

C.J. Wilkerson (16 points) and Nick Chasten (nine points), a Leesville High product, helped frustrate the Wolfpack's offense and control the tempo of the game.

Chasten followed a Wilkerson's 3-pointer with a basket at 9:12 to give NCCU a 18-12 lead.

"Maybe some of us came out sluggish," State senior Dennis Horner said. "OK, we all did."

The Pack scored the game's next nine points and closed the half with a 15-2 run.

Horner (13 points) scored four straight points and his basket at 6:37 gave State its first lead of the game, 19-18.

Smith beat the buzzer with a 5-footer to give the Pack a 27-20 halftime advantage.

"We knew we needed to play with more energy in the second half," Smith said.

State did, scoring 50 points and holding NCCU to 5-of-30 shooting. The Wolfpack shot 78.3 percent (18-of-23) in the second half, getting mostly easy points from Smith and a variety of points from a variety of bench players.

Kufuor, Kendall Smith and Johnny Thomas scratched in the scoring column but guard Javier Gonzalez did not.

Gonzalez, the regular point guard, started the game on the bench for breaking a team rule, Lowe said.

Gonzalez, who scored 19 points in Tuesday's loss to North Carolina, finished with one rebound, two rebounds and one missed shot on Saturday.

The Pack didn't need his help for the 35-point win.

N.C. State 77, N.C. Central 42

Three-point goals: 4-14, .286 (Wilkerson 3-4, Chasten 1-4, Worthy 0-1, Glasker 0-1, Sims 0-2, Davis 0-2). Team rebounds: 8. Blocked shots: 0. Turnovers: 15 (Glasker 4, Sapara 2, Wilkerson 2, Manns, Sims, Taylor, Nicely, Davis, Worthy, Chasten). Steals: 6 (Chasten 2, Wilkerson 2, Worthy, Glasker). Technical fouls: none.

Three-point goals: 2-7, .286 (Degand 1-1, Wood 1-2, Mays 0-1, Williams 0-1, Horner 0-1, Gonzalez 0-1). Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots: 5 (Horner 2, T.Smith 2, Vandenberg). Turnovers: 12 (Wood 4, Degand 3, Mays 2, Davis, Horner, T.Smith). Steals: 6 (Degand 2, Horner 2, Kufuor, Wood). Technical fouls: none.

Att.-2,217. Officials-Jerry Heater, Bernard Clinton, Dwayne Gladden.