RALEIGH — C.J. Bryce scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help NC State beat St. Francis Brooklyn 95-64 on Saturday.
D.J. Funderburk added 17 points for the Wolfpack (3-1), who won their third game in a row.
NC State delivered scoring runs of 9-0 and 12-0 in the first nine minutes of the second half to pull away.
The Terriers had eight turnovers during that span, leading to 17 points for the Wolfpack.
“We were playing hard,” Bryce said. “Coach really challenged us to come out in the second half and turn up our intensity on the defensive end, and I feel like we did a really good job of that.”
Devon Daniels had 13 points, and Manny Bates and Jericole Hellems had 12 points each for NC State. The Wolfpack shot 49 percent from the floor and outscored the Terriers 60-32 in the paint.
Chauncey Hawkins scored 16 points to lead St. Francis Brooklyn (1-3). Rob Higgins added 12 points for the Terriers, who dropped to 0-3 on the road.
“I didn’t like our response in the second half,” St. Francis Brooklyn coach Glenn Braica said. “I didn’t think we came out as focused as we should have been. We’ve got to work on that. We’ve got to extend our effort for a longer period of time.”
Big Picture
St. Francis Brooklyn: The Terriers hung tough for a half, trailing only 44-34 at halftime despite shooting 36 percent, making 1 of 8 3-point tries and committing 10 turnovers. They stayed close thanks to dogged determination on the glass, where they turned 12 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.
NC State: The Wolfpack scored more than 80 points for the fourth time in as many contests, but they still haven’t put together a complete game. The good news for NC State is that it was able to shake off its rebounding and turnover problems from the first half and play a much cleaner game after halftime.
Star Watch
Bryce continued his efficient start to the season, posting his second double-double. The 6-foot-5 senior has scored at least 16 points in all four games and is shooting better than 60 percent (32 of 53) from the floor. “He’s playing really good basketball,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “He’s becoming a good player because he’s doing it in every different way.”
Scoring Struggles
NC State point guard Markell Johnson had nine points and nine assists, but his shooting woes continued. Johnson was 4 of 13 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Johnson missed the Wolfpack’s opener, an 82-81 overtime loss to Georgia Tech, with a sprained ankle. Since returning, he is 8 of 35 (22.9 percent) from the floor, including 2 of 17 on 3-pointers.
“It’s just all about rhythm right now and getting back in the flow of things and getting back in my rhythm,” Johnson said. “I’m not too worried about it all.”
Injury Update
NC State forwards Danny Dixon and A.J. Taylor missed the game because of injury. Dixon sat out with a sore foot, and Taylor was sidelined by a sore knee.
Moment of Silence
NC State observed a moment of silence before tipoff for former player Anthony Grundy, who died on Thursday at age 40. Grundy played guard at NC State from 1998-2002 and was named to the All-ACC first team in 2002.
Up Next
St. Francis Brooklyn: The Terriers host Division III Medgar Evers on Thursday night before hitting the road for four consecutive games.
NC State: The Wolfpack host Alcorn State on Tuesday night in the fifth game of their season-opening six-game homestand.
Williams lifts Appalachian State past Tennessee Tech 69-47
GREENSBORO — O’Showen Williams posted 13 points and five steals as Appalachian State romped past Tennessee Tech 69-47 on Saturday.
Isaac Johnson had 15 points for Appalachian State (3-2). Justin Forrest added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Adrian Delph had 11 points for the Mountaineers.
Hunter Vick had 12 points for the Golden Eagles (1-4).
Appalachian State plays UNC Greensboro on the road on Monday. Tennessee Tech plays Montana State on Sunday.
Brajkovic carries Davidson to 87-49 blowout of UNC Wilmington
DAVIDSON — Luka Brajkovic had a career-high 21 points as Davidson easily beat UNC Wilmington 87-49 on Saturday night.
Kellan Grady had 14 points and nine rebounds for Davidson (1-2). Carter Collins added 13 points and seven rebounds. Jon Axel Gudmundsson had 12 points and seven rebounds for the home team.
Jaylen Sims had 14 points for the Seahawks (2-2).
Davidson plays Nevada at home on Tuesday. UNC Wilmington faces North Carolina Wesleyan at home on Tuesday.
Nelson lifts Campbell past The Citadel
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Ja’Cor Nelson had 18 points to lead five Campbell players in double figures as the Fighting Camels got past The Citadel 87-73 on Saturday.
Cedric Henderson Jr. added 13 points for the Fighting Camels (3-1). Trey Spencer tossed in 12 points, while Joshua Lusane and Jesus Carralero scored 10 apiece. Nelson added six rebounds and four assists before fouling out. Cory Gensler topped all rebounders with 10.
Hayden Brown had 18 points for the Bulldogs (0-3). Fletcher Abee and Tyson Batiste both scored 15.
Campbell shot 55% from the floor, including 38.5% from 3-point range (10 of 26). The Bulldogs shot 46 percent overall, but made just 2 of 18 from distance (11%).
Homesley carries Liberty past East Carolina
GREENVILLE — Caleb Homesley had 25 points as Liberty routed East Carolina 77-57 on Saturday to remain unbeaten.
Homesley hit 6 of 8 3-pointers.
Darius McGhee had 15 points for Liberty (4-0), playing its first road game.
Jayden Gardner had 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting for the Pirates (1-3). Brandon Suggs added 13 points. Tristen Newton had 10 points.
The Flames led by six at halftime but pushed the lead to 41-28 in less than three minutes when Scottie James scored six of his nine points and McGhee hit a 3-pointer for a comfortable margin the rest of the way.
Liberty plays Navy at home on Tuesday. East Carolina plays Evansville on Friday.
Frey buzzer-beater gets Montana St past UNC Greensboro
Harald Frey hit from half court as time expired to life Montana State to a 67-66 win over UNC Greensboro in the Spartan Invitational Tournament on Saturday night.
Frey made two from the line with 52 seconds left to tie the game at 64-64. Kyrin Galloway missed from long range for the Spartans, and Amin Adamu misfired on a layup for the Bobcats with 13 seconds left, but Isaiah Miller put Greensboro on top with his layup with 3 seconds remaining.
Montana State held UNC Greensboro to just 36 percent shooting from the field (25 of 69) while connecting on 21 of 40 from the field (52.5 percent) and maintaining a 34-29 advantage on the boards.
Jubrile Belo led Montana State with 15 points. Frey finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Ladan Ricketts added 11 points off the bench.
Miller finished with 20 points for the Spartans (3-2). Galloway scored 15 points and Malik Massey and Kaleb Hunter each contributed 12 points.
The Bobcats (3-1) beat Appalachian State on Friday to open the tournament and will close it out Sunday against Tennessee Tech. UNC Greensboro concludes its tournament Monday against Appalachian State.
Jones carries UNC Asheville past Brevard
ASHEVILLE — Tajion Jones posted 16 points as UNC-Asheville routed Division III-member Brevard College 79-49 on Saturday night.
Jamon Battle had 13 points for UNC-Asheville (2-2).
Cannon Lamb had 14 points, six rebounds and two assists for the Tornados. Joshua Wilson added seven rebounds. Mike Williams had six rebounds. The Tornados had 31 turnovers and just four assists.
UNC Asheville plays St. Andrews Presbyterian at home on Thursday.
