NC State improves to 2-0 with 78-56 win over Charleston Southern

Five NC State players scored in double figures as the Wolfpack overcame a sluggish start to beat Charleston Southern, 78-56. Al Freeman led all State scorers with 18 points on 6-13 shooting, followed by Torin Dorn, who added 14 points on 5-8 shooting.

Charleston Southern managed to hang around for the bulk of the first half, but NC State hit the gas over the last few minutes, outscoring the Buccaneers 17-0 to push a 25-21 lead to 42-21 at halftime. Sam Hunt helped key that decisive run with a trio of three-pointers.

The run simplified matters considerably, as all State had to do in the second half was keep Charleston Southern at arm’s length. The Bucs were able to mount a rally but never got the margin back down to single digits, and State once again pulled away in the waning minutes.

Overall, it was a comfortable win and we’ll take that every time, but there was some sloppiness in this one that needs to be corrected. NC State wasn’t very good on the defensive glass against a team that isn’t especially big, and the Pack also missed a bunch of free throws. Stuff like that needs to be cleaned up before the Pack actually plays a decent team.

Can’t complain too much, though—it is only game two, after all. Winning’s always good.