The previous error in the box score has been corrected.
CHAPEL HILL — Sidney Lowe’s flashy red jacket and charisma brought no good luck to his N.C. State team Saturday, as the Wolfpack (11-4, 0-1 ACC) was run out of the Dean Dome with a 93-62 loss in Chapel Hill.
State was outscored, outrebounded and outhustled in a game junior forward Ben McCauley admitted was embarrassing.
“It’s tough,” McCauley said. “I’m kind of speechless because I didn’t see that coming, and I thought we were much better than that.”
The game began competitively, as State forced a slower tempo and tied Carolina 9-9 at the first official timeout with 14:26 left in the first half.
From there, Carolina (17-0, 2-0) ran away with game, ending the half on a 34-4 run and holding State to just 13 first-half points, its fewest of the year. The Pack went 6-for-34 from the field in the first half, as Carolina quickly converted State’s misses into baskets, turning the contest into a track meet.
When junior guard Courtney Fells hit a jump shot with 1:19 left in the first half to break a scoring drought of more than 10 minutes, the Dean Dome crowd mockingly cheered and applauded for the Wolfpack.
“It seemed like there was a lid on that hoop,” McCauley said. “It really did. I mean, we were missing layups. We weren’t missing shots — we were missing layups. And that’s unfortunate because we’ve got guys that can make those shots.”
The Pack picked up its offense in the second half, scoring 49 points, but still allowing 50 from Carolina, which eventually cleared its bench in the blowout. Even when the Tar Heels missed shots, they often had second and third chances to score, converting 14 points on 18 offensive rebounds in the game.
According to McCauley, the first-half deficit was too much for the Pack to overcome, despite making strides in the second half. The issue of starting games poorly is a problem that has plagued the Pack throughout the early season, McCauley said.
“Coming out kind of sluggish in the first half really hurt us tonight,” McCauley said. “Carolina jumped on that, and they just kept going and didn’t stop. And unfortunately we got down by a big deficit and weren’t able to get that back.”
The Pack’s main problem this season has been an inability to score, McCauley said. Still, the team has some team issues to work out as it continues against ACC competition.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re in conference play and we’re still working on chemistry,” McCauley said.
According to Lowe, the Pack is still in need of leadership in Engin Atsur’s absence as it heads into the ACC, though the loss to Carolina was at the hands of “a heck of a ball club.”
“Today was definitely a bad day,” Lowe said. “But I’ve said this from the very beginning: This is still a young team. This is a new team. And [it’s] not only personality we are trying to find, but we’re still looking for that guy that can lead you and keep you under control on the floor.”
The Pack will have a chance to redeem itself Tuesday, as it travels to Clemson for another ACC matchup. According to Fells, the Carolina loss should serve as a wakeup call.
“Every game is going to be tough in the ACC,” Fells said. “I’m glad that this happened early so we can get it together and get going.”
Box ScoreNorth Carolina 93, NC State 62
UNC 43 50 93NCSU 13 49 62
Points: NCSU — C. Fells 16, J.J. Hickson 14, G. Grant 9, B. McCauley 8, D. Horner 5, B. Costner 4, M. Johnson 2, T. Smith 2, S. Harris 2UNC — T. Lawson 16, D. Thompson 16, T. Hansbrough 13, W. Ellington 13, D. Green 13, A. Stephenson 8, M. Ginyard 5, Q. Thomas 4, J.B. Tanner 3, P. Moody 2
What happened: North Carolina demolished State 93-62 at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill Saturday.Key sequence: Carolina held State scoreless for more than 10 minutes in the first half, and held State to only 13 first-half points, its lowest total in a half all season. When junior guard Courtney Fells finally broke the scoring drought, Carolina fans mockingly began cheering on the Wolfpack.Who was hot: Five Carolina players scored in double digits: Lawson, Thompson, Hansbrough, Ellington and Green. For State, Fells scored a team-high 16 points, and freshman center J.J. Hickson added 14.Who was not: Redshirt sophomore Brandon Costner scored only four points in 27 minutes. As a team, the Pack was ice cold Saturday, shooting 17.6 percent in the first half and 36.9 percent in the game.What Lowe said: “This is what it’s going to be like. This is it. This is how the conference is going to be played. And I don’t know about building on it, but certainly to understand that this is the type of environment we’re going to be in.”What’s next?: State will travel to South Carolina to take on No. 18 Clemson on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
-Langdon Morris
