The NC State men's basketball team sprinted past Maryland Eastern Shore in the second half to win going away, 93-61, as the Pack returned to the Old Barn Wednesday evening for the program's annual Heritage Game.
NC State jumped out a 16-6 lead six minutes into the game, but the Pack could never build on that early advantage and went into halftime with a 37-25 lead.
Ten minutes into the second half, the Pack still had a 12-point lead, 58-46, but it blitzed UMES over the final 10 minutes, outsourcing the Hawks 35-15 in the final half of the closing period.
NC State scored a season-high 56 points in the second half as the Pack finished with a season-high 93 points for the game.
NC State recorded its highest shooting percentage (.593) since its ACC Tournament win over Virginia Tech (.619) last season in the second round.
Six NC State players were able to score in double figures, led by junior
Jayden Taylor's 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. DJ Burns Jr. chipped in 15 points and five rebounds, while fellow graduate student
Casey Morsell added 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
MJ Rice made his program-debut and added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while
DJ Horne (10), and
LJ Thomas (10) also put in double-digit scoring efforts. Thomas was able to hit a new season high in points and steals (4).
It's the first time the Wolfpack had six members score in double figures since March 6, 2020 when the Pack put six players in double figures in a Senior Day win over Wake Forest.
NC State returns to action Tuesday evening when it hosts UT-Martin at PNC Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC Network.
https://gopack.com/news/2023/12/6/mens-basketball-56-point-second-half-outburst-helps-pack-cruise-past-umes