NC State Dominates William & Mary 84-61 with Stellar Defense & Fast-Break Offense

NC State probably played arguably their most complete game of the season tonight, defeating William & Mary 84-61.

The Wolfpack outshout and outrebounded the Griffin’s, won the turnover battle, and got to the free throw line more often.

NC State shot 48.4% from the field (William & Mary – 36.7%), snagged 40 boards (William & Mary – 38), turned the ball over 11 times (William & Mary – 21) and took 23 free throw attempts (William & Mary – 12).

The Wolfpack entered the game as 15.5-point favorites, and covered the spread, winning by 23. NC State is no2 3-2 Against the Spread. The Total went UNDER in a major way. Entering the game, the TOTAL was set at 163.5, and the to teams only scored a combined 145 points.

NC State entered the game as one of the best in the nation at defending the three, and tonight was no difference. The Griffin’s entered the game as one of the best in the nation at shooting from beyond the arc, making 11.8 per game, which ranked 12th nationally. The Wolfpack held William & Mary to 22.6% shooting from three, making only 6 from beyond the arc.

NC State entered the game averaging 25.3 fast break points per game, which ranked 1st in all of Division-1. They blew that average out of the water tonight, scoring 39 points on the break.

For the 2nd time this season, Senior Guard Marcus Hill led team in scoring. Hill scored 19 points, which is a season high. He shot 7 for 14 from the field.

Seniors Jayden Taylor and Dontrez Styles both chipped in 12 points apiece. They both shot 50% from the field, and Styles was 2 of 5 from three.

Senior Forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has now scored in double figures in all 5 games this season, being the only player on the squad to do so. He had 10 points (4-8FG) and a team high 9 boards (season high for BHH).

Senior Forward Ben Middlebrooks once again came off the bench and contributed in a big way. Middlebrooks actually played 5 more minutes this evening than Huntley-Hatfield. Ben scored 11 points in 22 minutes, and also grabbed 7 boards. Middlebrooks set a new career high in blocks, with 5, and tied for the team lead tonight with 3 assists.

While there were a lot positives tonight, NC State’s main weaknesses continued to be weaknesses tonight. The Wolfpack entered the game shooting 27.1% from three, which ranked 306th nationally. NC State did improve from beyond the arc, but they still shot 31.6%. Also, NC State has struggled to keep their opponents off the offensive glass this season. Heading into tonight, the Wolfpack ranked 248th in Opponents Offensive Rebounding Percentage. The trend continued, allowing William&Mary to tie them in offensive boards (11), and the Griffin’s scored 16 second chance points (NC State – 11).

The Wolfpack’s non-conference schedule is about to get a lot harder, playing #6 Purdue in San Diego on Thanksgiving Day at 3PM on FS1.