North Carolina State 68, North Carolina-Greensboro 64: T.J. Warren scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half as the visiting Wolfpack held on to take the non-conference finale for both teams.
Warren also had a team-high nine rebounds and hit the only 3-pointer for North Carolina State (10-3), which survived despite producing just one field goal in the final 10-plus minutes. Anthony Barber recorded 17 points, six assists and two steals, including one to thwart the Spartans' final possession.
Kayel Locke led North Carolina-Greensboro (7-8) with 19 points while Tevon Saddler returned from a one-game layoff due to a foot injury to score 18 off the bench. The Spartans had a 43-35 rebounding advantage, but shot just 37.9 percent from the floor and missed four of their last six free throws in a tight stretch run.
Two free throws by Barber put the Wolfpack up 62-48 midway through the second half before the Spartans came charging back, pulling to within 63-61 on Saddler's basket with just over four minutes to go. Saddler's steal led to a basket for Diante Baldwin to keep it a two-point deficit with 52 seconds left, but Warren made a free throw while Barber had a steal and a foul shot for the final margin.
The Spartans used a 16-4 run to seize control midway through the first half but Warren had back-to-back layups in a late 8-1 burst that gave the Wolfpack a 38-35 halftime advantage. That trend continued after the break as North Carolina State scored 16 of the first 18 points in the second half to grab a 54-37 lead with 16 minutes left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: North Carolina State has won all nine meetings between the two schools. ... The Spartans were coming off a win at Virginia Tech that snapped their 23-game losing streak against ACC teams. ... G Desmond Lee scored 15 points for the Wolfpack.
N.C. State | NC-Greensboro | |
T.J. Warren 24 | Scoring | Kayel Locke 19 |
Anthony Barber 6 | Assists | Drew Parker 3 |
T.J. Warren 9 | Rebounds | Kyle Cain 8 |
Anthony Barber 9 | Free Throws Made | Tevon Saddler 8 |
Anthony Barber 2 | Steals | Tevon Saddler 4 |
N/A | Blocks | Diante Baldwin 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
N.C. State | 68 | 40.7 | 1-6 | 19-33 | 11 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
NC-Greensboro | 64 | 37.9 | 3-15 | 17-28 | 9 | 40 | 2 | 8 | 16 |