William & Mary pounds NC State Wolfpack 85-68
Disastrous Season Opener
NC State opened the 2015-16 basketball season with a nasty home loss to the College of William & Mary. On Friday night, the festive opening day celebrations turned to horror as William & Mary (1-0) pounded NC State 85-68.
Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried had to be wondering what hit his basketball team. From the onset, NC State (0-1) was lethargic and got out hustled. The Tribe jumped on the Wolfpack, put their foot on their collective throats and never let up.
Not once.
If this was a UFC match, NC State would have been pounded into submission 5 minutes into the bout. Every meager attempt…(and I do mean meager) at a comeback, was met with equal force. William & Mary responded with surge after surge thwarting any attempt to make the game remotely interesting. Right out of the gate the Tribe nailed long-range bombs jumping out to any early lead of 20-5, quieting the PNC Arena home crowd of 16,377 fans.
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HALFTIME: 51-35
The Tribe’s largest lead was 23 points in the second half.
As if this beating was not bad enough, the Wolfpack also lost junior starting guard Terry Henderson for a couple of months due to torn ligaments in his right ankle. Henderson, a West Virginia transfer, is expected to be out six to eight weeks.
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William & Mary shot 51% from the field while the Pack shot only 38%. The Pack was also was out-rebounded 38-33. Caleb Martin , Abdul-Malik Abu and Maverick Rowan did what they could to blunt the assault, but the team from Williamsburg, Virginia was unfazed and never got rattled. For this NC State team to go anywhere this season, Anthony “Cat” Barber is going to have to show up each and every night. Barber’s 11 points will not cut it. Mr. Everything (Trevor Lacey) is gone, and it is now Barber’s team.
FINAL: W & M 85 – NC State 68
Caleb Martin—21 pts, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Abdul-Malik Abu—17 pts, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Maverick Rowan—16 pts, 3 rebounds
Anthony Barber—11 pts, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal
UP NEXT: South Alabama on Sunday 11/15/15
UPDATE: It’s official! Dennis Smith, Jr. signed his letter of intent to play basketball for the Wolfpack next season. Smith is a Fayetteville native who was also one of the nation’s most sought after point guards.