Charleston Southern fell to 0-2 this season against the ACC, and while an earlier season loss to Florida State was close late, Friday night’s loss to North Carolina State in Raleigh was never much of a contest.
North Carolina State used a 22-0 run early in the game and cruised to an easy 86-50 win, improving to 8-1 on the season.
Charleston Southern, playing its first game in eight days after a break for exams, dropped to 5-3 on the season. The Buccaneers will visit Wofford on Wednesday night in their second of three consecutive road games.
“We got beat soundly by a very good basketball team,” said CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh. “They were well-prepared for us and they really played at a high level tonight. That basketball team is going to make some noise in the ACC and nationally. They are a very solid team.”
Senior forward Cedrick Bowen led CSU in scoring with 14 points. Senior guard Arlon Harper added nine points and six rebounds and senior point guard Saah Nimley scored nine points and dished out seven assists.
Ralston Turner and Caleb Martin each scored 17 points to pace the Wolfpack. Anthony Barber added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Charleston Southern came into the game averaging eight made 3-pointers per game but managed only two makes in 21 attempts on Friday night. The Bucs hit their first and last shots from beyond the arc in the game.
After taking a quick 3-0 lead on Arlon Harper’s 3-pointer, the Bucs went more than seven minutes without a point and nearly nine minutes without a field goal, missing several shots within a few feet of the basket.
“We threw it inside and had some really good looks from close and didn’t finish,” said Radebaugh. “We had some open 3’s and they didn’t go down. The game just got away from us quickly and we never could recover.”
Meanwhile, the Wolfpack reeled off 22 unanswered points, led 31-8 with 8:50 to play, and cruised to a 46-20 halftime lead. North Carolina State shot 53 percent from the floor and connected on seven 3-pointers in the first half.
Charleston Southern managed just 31 percent shooting, made one of seven shots from beyond the arc, and committed eight turnovers in the opening half. N.C. State outscored CSU, 14-0, off turnovers in the first half.
Things did not get much better for CSU in the second half. The Bucs continued to struggle from the field, at one point missing 17 consecutive 3-point attempts.
North Carolina State led, 60-30, with 11:30 remaining in the game. The lead was 82-38 with three minutes left when Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried emptied the bench.
Charleston Southern shot 30.5 percent from the floor for the game. The Wolfpack connected on a season-high eight 3-pointers and shot 49.3 from the field.
“If we don’t grow and learn from this experience, it’s a wasted trip,” said Radebaugh. “We will evaluate ourselves and continue to work hard to improve. It’s not the end of the world.”
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