Wolfpack cruises to 88-69 win over UMKC

NC State walked out of Reynolds Coliseum with the 19 point victory, but it’s likely Kevin Keatts won’t be all that impressed with the win.

In the first half, the Wolfpack imposed their will, jumping out to a 23 point lead. However, they lost focus in the second half, allowing UMKC to get within 11, before pulling away again at the end.

Torin Dorn led the way with 22 points and a monstrous 17 boards. Markell snapped out of his funk to add 17 points, while Braxton Beverly pitched in 12.

Kevin Keatts has to be happy with the 48.5% shooting and the 52-35 dominance on the boards, but he’s likely a likely not going to like the 15 turnovers or allowing the Kangeroos to shoot 41% from the field.

The NC State pressure was decent early on, but focus dropped off in the second half, as did the pressure. The Pack only turned UMKC over 10 times. Part of the problem was the fact that the ‘Roos went small and at times had 5 guys on the court who could handle the ball. The other problem was that the Pack just didn’t have that pep in their step for the 2nd 20 minutes.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to complain about a 19 point victory, but as the Pack prepares for ACC play, they definitely exposed a few areas they need to tighten up.