The Appalachian State Mountaineers men’s basketball team (3-6) fell to the North Carolina State Wolfpack (8-2) Thursday evening 97-64. This was the Mountaineers’ fourth loss in their last five games.
The Good:
Sophomore guard Ronshad Shabazz and junior guard Jake Babic scored in double figures for the Mountaineers, with 14 points and 10 points, respectively.
App State had 14 offensive rebounds and held NC State to only four offensive boards.
The Mountaineers had six steals in the game and forced 13 total turnovers by the Wolfpack.
The Bad:
The Mountaineers were out-blocked (5-1), outrebounded (45-41) and outscored by a final score of 97-64.
App State turned the ball over 11 times, which led to 14 points off turnovers.
The Mountaineers shot only 4-29 from 3-point range. That’s 13.8 percent.
The Wolfpack had six players in double figures: freshman guard Dennis Smith, Jr, 22; sophomore guard Maverick Rowan, 13; freshman center Omer Yurtseven, 12; senior guard Terry Henderson, 11; junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu, 11; freshman forward Ted Kapita, 10.
App State only shot 63.2 percent from the free throw line.
While the Mountaineers shot from the line only 19 times, they sent NC State to the free throw line 41 times. The Wolfpack also shot 82.9 percent from the charity stripe.
NC State’s bench outscored App State’s 46-30.
Overall, the Mountaineers shot 31.6 percent from the field and allowed NC State to shoot 51.8 percent.
Sharpshooters Shabazz and freshman guard Patrick Good were a combined 1-14 from 3-point range.
Omer Oh My
In his first start for the Wolfpack, the freshman Turkey-native Omer Yurtseven played 24 minutes and shot 4-6 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line.
He finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
At times, Yurtseven’s rust showed, as he also had four turnovers in the contest.
However, the seven-footer showed potential from inside and outside, hitting a 3-pointer in the game as well as many points in the paint.
Déjà Vu
Just like their game against Duke, the Mountaineers struggled out of the gate. The Wolfpack had a 6-0 lead two minutes into the game, and they never lost it.
App State had a chance to get on the board on a fast break soon after that, but a botched behind-the-back pass from Babic ended up in a turnover and a bucket on the other end.
The Mountaineers did not score until the 15:34 mark in the first half. By that time they were in a hole that would prove too big to climb out of.
Another 3-pointer. Another miss.
App State shot exceptionally poor from three-point range in the contest. Out of their 29 attempts, the team only converted on four shots.
That’s a shooting percentage of 13.8 percent.
This lack of shooting touch hurt the team’s chances to mount a comeback after the early struggles and made the team one-dimensional against NC State, who had a certain height advantage down low.
What’s Next?
The Mountaineers will return home to play a game with only two days rest this Saturday. They will face James Madison University at 1 p.m. at Holmes Convocation Center.
Story By: Colin Tate, Sports Reporter