Rapid reaction after the Mountaineers (0-1) lost to the Wolfpack (1-0) at PNC Arena for their opening game of the season.
Strong Start, Bad Finish
The first half showed that App State could stay with the Wolfpack, both defensively and offensively. The Mountaineers outrebounded N.C. State, hit their shots and had three blocks just for good measure, and went into the half only down 43-38.
The second half would show a much more aggressive Wolfpack and an App State team a bit on their heels.
The Mountaineers were only able to hit 43.3 percent of their shots, as opposed to their first half percentage of 55.6, while N.C. State increased their output from 53.6 to 68.6.
Tevin Baskin
A big question for App State this year was who would replace Nathan Healy’s points and production on the court. That question was answered tonight with Tevin Baskin’s performance.
He scored 15 points in the first half and finished with 24 points, which is a career-high for him. He also had 6 rebounds and 4 steals.
Outsized
The Mountaineers don’t often find themselves posted up against ACC-sized opponents, but they got their fill in the paint tonight and that’s where they missed Jay Canty the most. Canty is on academic probation and out for nine games.
The Good
The aggression early for App State is something fans should love to see at home. Last year’s team got on a decent win streak to finish out the year, and that was mostly because of their aggressive play.
The first-half Mountaineers were exactly that. If N.C. State hadn’t have started so well in the second to kill their momentum, then it might have been a much closer game.
The play of the younger group was also encouraging.
Frank Eaves and Ty Toney played solid minutes and produced well enough to give the starters a break.
Eaves finished with 8 points, 1 assist and 1 steal, while Toney finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
The Bad
The Mountaineers struggled mightily from the charity stripe as they only hit 68.2 percent of them. While it did improve over time, they lost easy points that could have kept them in the game.
N.C. State’s ball movement was fantastic against the Mountaineers as they racked up 19 assists. Part of that is just their game, however. App State let a lot of holes down low and rotations on the wings were slow, giving up a brutal 60 points inside.
What’s Next?
The Mountaineers will try to forget this 21-point loss as they return home to face Campbell Nov. 12. That game is slated to begin at 8 p.m.
Story: ANDREW CLAUSEN, Sports Editor
Photo: JUSTIN PERRY, Photo Editor