Box Score

Jeremy Atkinson had a hell of a night and Asheville's perimeter game decided to not be terrible anymore, and that was nearly enough to give the Bulldogs an upset. State was lucky to escape this game with a victory; Asheville led for the majority of the game, and State didn't seize anything remotely approximating control until the final four minutes.

A pivotal Richard Howell score--which was pure luck on the heels of a near-turnover in transition--and intentional foul call allowed the Pack to build a two-possession lead with about three minutes to go. Asheville answered with a three, but Scott Wood relieved some of the pressure with a three of his own. State was able to hang on from there, eventually leading by as many as seven points before missed free throws once again made the game interesting.

I'm not sure what it is we can take from this, but to be sure, this team has quite a bit of work to do in order to find the groove it had at the end of last season.