NC State 78, Delaware State 44

Box Score (pdf)

Delaware State managed to hang tough for longer than I thought they would, and as they closed the score 20-18 I was nearing the frustrated let's-get-on-with-this-already zone, but then NC State closed out the half with a 22-0 run. By the last media timeout of the first half, it was all over.

The Hornets were awful at the defensive end, and when they forgot about Scott Wood on the very first possession of the game, that was no fluke, it was an omen of things to come. Wood hit four of 11 three-point attempts, which actually feels like a disappointment given how well he has shot the ball this year and how hilariously wide open he was all night. He's spoiled us this year.

Richard Howell picked up another double double with a 12 & 12 effort, while Lorenzo Brown did a bit of everything. Calvin Leslie performed arguably the most Calvin Leslie act of all time on a breakaway dunk; for some reason his showboat instinct led to the somewhat unorthodox decision to just kind of lob the ball up in the air to himself like a mini-what the fuck is that supposed to be. Sorry, that's harsh. It's just that I expected something way more bad ass, like at least a lob off the backboard. Maybe next time. There should be some more opportunities in league play.

Overall, the guys did a fantastic job controlling the glass and avoiding mistakes, and it did not take a great shooting night to cruise by a Delaware State team that went stone cold after 12 minutes. Particularly during the run at the end of the first half, I thought they did a good job of pushing the ball after defensive boards and putting the pressure on DSU's defenders.

And that will do it for non-conference play. As Ranier Wolfcastle would say, laughing time is over.