What we learned about NC State basketball in its 73-67 win over Campbell Friday night
N.C. State’s basketball season opener this week was a laugher of a game, a 49-point blitz of outmanned Austin Peay.
The Wolfpack’s second game, against Campbell on Friday? Not so much.
The Wolfpack had to strain and sweat for 40 minutes before coming away with a 73-67 victory as Terquavion Smith had 19 points and Jarkel Joiner 17. Had Campbell not missed 11 free throws in the game, the Camels might have pulled the upset, but the Wolfpack also had its own free-throw troubles.
“It’s a good game for us,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said. “When you look around college basketball there’s so much parity now. When you play against a team like Campbell, and the reason why we scheduled them, is because they were a unique offensive team. They will make you guard for 30 seconds. I thought they came in with a complete, great game plan.
“Our guys found a way to make some plays down the stretch.”
Joiner did. With Smith hampered by a sore ankle, Joiner took over late in what was a tight, tense finish.
“He was excited about the moment. You could see it in his face,” Keatts said.
With N.C. State leading by three points, Joiner followed his own missed shot with 2:47 left in regulation for a 67-62 lead. But the Camels’ Ricky Clemons, who had 18 points and eight assists, answered with a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:39 remaining.
Joiner’s baseline jumper with 1:22 left made it a 69-65 game and after Anthony Dell’Orso’s driving basket made it a two-point game, Joiner, clearly feeling it, knocked down another jumper with 32.2 seconds left for a 71-67 Wolfpack lead.
“The coaches and players trust me to be aggressive,” Joiner said. “They know my game is my mid-range game, so I was confident taking those shots.”
Jack Clark’s two free throws — the Pack was 21-of-32 at the line for the night — sealed it. Clark had 10 points and nine rebounds.
“We’re not going to beat everybody by 30,” Joiner said. “It was a good test for us. We were battled-tested tonight.”
Smith’s 3-pointer with 17:03 left in the first half was the 100th of his 34-game college career, making him the fastest to 100 in school history. By halftime, the slender sophomore had 17 points as the Pack led 39-34.
Smith scored two points in the second half, both on free throws. But Joiner had 13 of his 17 points in the second half.
“Earlier today, I didn’t even know if Terquavion Smith was going to play,” Keatts said. “He had twisted his ankle in practice, and it was going to be a game-time decision. Give him credit. He was tremendous tonight.”
Against Austin Peay in the opener, the Pack ran off to a 26-6 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game. The rest was easy for the Wolfpack, which ran the floor, attacked on defense, hit 3s and anything else it wanted in the 99-50 win..
Campbell, 16-13 last season, played a more patient game. Running a Princeton-style offense, the Camels handled the ball well and made quick cuts, taking advantage of some defensive overplays by the Pack for some layups while also handling the Pack’s full-court pressure reasonably well. They mixed up their defenses, using some zone in the second half with their man-to-man.
With Smith nailing 3s, including his milestone 100th, and the Pack’s defense forcing some early turnovers, the Camels quickly fell behind. But they started making their shots, using up a lot of the shot clock on possessions and then getting good looks.
It remained a tight game much of the second half as the Camels squeezed enough out of their offense — despite the free-throw misses — and hustled enough on defense to keep the Pack from running off to a double-digit lead. N.C. State led by nine in the second half but the Camels, who hit 10 of 18 three-pointers in the game, stayed within range.
“It was a gritty win for us, one that you usually see in January when you’re in ACC play,” Keatts said. “I’m proud of our guys. Our fight was good. We move on.”
Big signing
It was a satisfying day for Keatts and the Pack. Earlier Friday, it was announced 6-foot-7 wing Dennis Parker II, a four-star recruit in the class of 2023, had signed his national letter of intent with NCSU. Parker, from Richmond, Virginia, committed to the Pack on Oct. 27.
“We absolutely love him,” Keatts said after the game. “He’s a guy we think can play multiple positions. We think he can guard all positions in the floor. He’s going to be great in our system, the way we play.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 9:15 PM.
