The NC State men’s basketball team went on a 17-0 run early in the first half and never looked back, sprinting past Colgate, 72-49, inside the Lenovo Center Monday evening.

After a slow start that saw Colgate take a 6-2 lead into the first media timeout, the Pack came out with a renewed energy following the timeout, outscoring the Raiders 17-0 as they took a 19-6 lead into the second media timeout.

Colgate got the lead into single digits at 19-10, but another run – this one a 15-3 spurt – gave the Pack a 34-13 lead with 3:48 left to play in the first half and the Raiders never got closer than 16 the rest of the way.

NC State’s lead ballooned to 30 at multiple points in the second half as the Pack’s defense kept Colgate off-balance all game, forcing the Raiders into 16 runovers and just 33 percent shooting.

Colgate’s 49 points marked the first time since Dec. 9, 2021 that NC State held an opponent under 50 points (NC State beat Bethune-Cookman 65-48 that night).

Senior Ben Middlebrooks led all scorers with 19 points while Marcus Hill scored the most points he’s had in an NC State uniform with 17. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield also reached double figures finishing with 11 points.

Dontrez Styles grabbed a season high 11 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end as the Pack limited the Raiders to just six second chance points.

NC State continued to display the dominance its had in the post so far this season, outscoring Colgate 36-22 in points in the paint.

The Pack also had a 17-4 advantage in points off turnovers and also had a 19-6 advantage in fastbreak points.

Colgate (1-3) did not have a player reach double figures as Nicolas Louis-Jacques led the Raiders with nine points.

Source: wralsportsfan.com