Strong second half gives N.C. State a 81-69 win over Robert Morris
North Carolina State went on an 11-1 run late in the second half to pull away from Robert Morris, winning 81-69 to avoid a two-game losing streak.
Four Wolfpack players scored in double figures, led by Torin Dorn, who scored 17 points.
Abdul-Malik Abu scored 15 in just his sixth game back. Abu’s dunk off an assist from freshman guard Braxton Beverly gave the Wolfpack a 10-point lead, 68-58, with 4:24 remaining. Omer Yurtseven (12) and Lennard Freeman (11) rounded out the scoring for N.C. State, who only played eight players. Dorn (10 rebounds), Yurtseven (10 rebs) and Lennard Freeman (12 rebs) also had double-doubles.
The Colonials (6-6), who shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, went 1-for-7 from the field during the 11-1 Wolfpack run after the game was tied at 57. During that run N.C. State (9-3), who struggled hitting three’s all night, scored three layups and one thunderous dunk from Abu, who missed six games this year with a sprained MCL. The Wolfpack went 2-for-14 from three (14.3 percent), but shot 52 percent (13-for-25) from the floor in the second half. N.C. State shot 36 percent in the first half.
“I thought that was a game of two different halves,” Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts said. “When you look at the first half I don’t think we did a great job of defending. I thought we played on our heels a lot. They were the more aggressive team, both on the offensive end and the defensive end.”
Robert Morris led by as many as eight in the first half and by three, 39-36, at the break. The Wolfpack only led once, 13-12, after a jumper from Lavar Batts, Jr. at the 13:34 mark. The Colonials, rather guard Matty McConnell (17 points) answered by scoring eight in a row to push the Robert Morris lead to seven. This came after N.C. State put together it’s best stretch defensively in the first 20 minutes. After the Colonials went up seven, their next eight possessions included three turnovers, two missed three’s and a pair of missed jump shots, a far cry from the open looks Robert Morris got at the start of the game to go up 5-0.
N.C State ended the first half on a 6-2 run, and got a break when Colonials’ forward Koby Thomas was called for a technical foul after a dunk. Beverly knocked down two free throws to end the half.
Both teams started the second half cold, going a combined 5-for-23 from the floor. N.C. State took just its second lead of the game after a layup from Yurtseven, but it was short lived as he quickly went to the bench after picking up his third foul. Lennard Freeman carried the load in Yurtseven’s absence, scoring on a baseline dunk to pull the Wolfpack to within two, then hitting a free throw to make it a one-point game.
“I was very happy with our post guys, right now that’s the strength of our team,” Keatts said. “Those guys are playing really good basketball. I thought Malik had his best game scoring the ball. We have to give them the ball, those guys are scoring around the basket.”
Allerik Freeman then hit three free throws to put N.C State up two 54-52. Batts, Jr. came up with a steal on the other end and was fouled. The freshman guard hit the first of two freebies, but Abu rebounded the miss and laid the ball back in, putting the Wolfpack up five and igniting the crowd. That was short-lived. The Colonials went on a 5-0 run, capped off by a three-point play by Ronnie Gombe to tie the game before N.C. State went on its run to finish the game.
Yurtseven, in just his second start of the season, said being in the first five didn’t change his approach to the game.
“I wouldn’t say it was a big deal, I feel like I earned that spot,” Yurtseven said. “Coach trusted me and I appreciate that.”
The combination of Yurtseven and Lennard Freeman turned out to be too much for the Colonials’ front line to handle. It was the sixth time this season that both Yurtseven and Lennard Freeman both scored in double figures. N.C. State is 5-1 when the the duo each scores 10 points or more. Add Abu to the mix and that opens up the floor for everyone else.
“It makes it extremely easy for us,” Dorn said. “They have to double team them, send extra guys to them and it opens up the floor for us and we work inside out.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Strong second half gives N.C. State a 81-69 win over Robert Morris."