N.C. State (3-1, 0-0 ACC) were handed their first loss of the season when they lost to No. 20 Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-0 SEC) 86-79 in the first round of the TicketCity Legends Classic in the Izod Center in New Jersey.
The game also marked the return of sophomore forward C.J. Leslie to the team, who had missed the first three games of the season. Leslie played like he had never been away as one of the star performers for the Wolfpack, scoring 20 points and shot 7-of-9 as State gave a stern test to the team that had a pre-season ranking of as high as No. 7.
Junior forward Richard Howell also had a big game as he scored 16 points and had a team leading nine rebounds, along with sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown, who had 13 points for the night, put up a stiff resilience against the Commodores. However, it proved to be too little for the Pack as Coach Mark Gottfried got his first taste of defeat since taking over.
State started the game without junior forward and three-point specialist Scott Wood, who was out with a sprained ankle, which handed freshman forward Tyler Harris his first start in his young career in the Wolfpack colors, as he had seven points and six rebounds.
Vanderbilt guard John Jenkins put on his best performance of the night as he scored 28 points, 20 of which came in the first half and was responsible for four of the nine scores made from downtown by the Commodores.
State twice took the lead when redshirt senior guard Alex Johnson shot for three with the Wolfpack down 64-63 in the second half, and again when junior center DeShawn Painter scored in the paint with the Pack trailing 76-75 with 2:43 to go. However, he failed to capitalize on both opportunities as Leslie was forced to sit out for the last six minutes due to leg cramps.
From that point on it was all Vanderbilt as Jenkin’s fourth three-pointer of the game gave them an unassailable 81-77 lead. Vanderbilt ended shooting 52 percent, compared to the 50 by the Pack with the three-point shooting proving to be the major difference between the two sides as State shot 4-of-9 while the Commodores made 9-of-25.
State next takes on Texas Monday at 6:30 p.m. in their final game in the Legends Classic at the Izod Center in New Jersey.
