NC State opened the Justin Gainey era with a clean-looking 83-64 win over Campbell on Monday night at the Lenovo Center, and the Wolfpack did it with a balanced offensive showing that had several players making noise.
Ven-Allen Lubin was the headliner. He played like a different guy, handling the ball and moving it around like a wing while knocking down all three of his attempts from deep.
That mattered even more because Lubin had made just 3 three-pointers all of last season. He finished a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, piling up 20 points and 10 rebounds to go with 4 assists.
Darius Adams added a quiet but effective 16 points, along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while shooting 50% from the floor. Christian Hammond gave NC State a lift off the bench, going 6 of 9 overall and 2 of 4 from three on his way to 14 points, 5 rebounds and a team-best 6 assists.
Paul McNeil Jr. and Preston Edmead also reached double figures, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Wolfpack shot 53.6% from the field and 44% from long distance, and the ball moved well enough to produce 20 assists. The downside was the sloppier stuff: NC State turned it over 13 times and allowed 14 offensive rebounds.
Campbell did manage to outscore NC State by 3 in the second half, but the Wolfpack still left with a 19-point win in Gainey’s first game at the helm. That’s the part that counts, and it was enough to start the new chapter on the right foot.
In Other News...
NC State Must Contain Dukes Most Dangerous Weapons Saturday
Saturdays matchup brings a Duke offense that has found plenty of ways to stress defenses, and NC States biggest task is sorting out where the danger starts. Quarterback Walker Eget has settled in nicely, tight end Hasley has become a reliable receiving threat, and safety Stone keeps showing up in the defensive numbers, giving the Blue Devils a balanced profile that can hurt opponents in more than one phase.
The most obvious concern, though, is the ground game and the way Duke has leaned on its top back to control tempo and pile up production in the ACC. Add in linebacker Nick Morriss return from injury and the Blue Devils have gotten stronger on both sides of the ball, which is why this one feels less like a single-player problem and more like a full-game test for NC States defense. [Read more 🡒]