McCauley, Pack Show Renewed Energy in Win Over S.C. State

After junior forward Ben McCauley dove for a loose ball in the second half of N.C. State’s 74-49 win over South Carolina State, sophomore forward Dennis Horner grabbed the floor mop with a smile and mopped the court to the applause of the RBC Center crowd.

The gesture showed the Pack was having fun wiping the floor with S.C. State in a 25-point home win, a feeling the Pack had been without in nearly three weeks.

“It was good to get a win,” McCauley said. “It had been a while. And it was nice being back at home.”

The win felt particularly good for McCauley, whose playing time dwindled when J.J. Hickson joined the Wolfpack’s starting lineup.

McCauley, who notched seven points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes, said the team “is finally getting on the same page” as individuals are beginning to accept their roles.

“It was obviously frustrating,” McCauley said of his limited playing time in the early in the season. “Last year there were times I might have to play 38 minutes. But it’s a different team and everyone has to establish their role. Different guys have to do different things. I think we’re all realizing what we need to do, and we’ll do it.”

Despite trading baskets early in the game, the Wolfpack went on a 15-0 run in the first half and never looked back, holding on to a 41-24 halftime lead.

According to Hickson, the Pack knew before stepping on the court that it needed to start the game with more energy than it had in its previous two-game losing skid.

“It came down to defense and wanting to win,” Hickson said. “We felt it in the locker room. Against ECU we wanted to win, but we weren’t ready to play like we were tonight.”

The Wolfpack’s “excellent” defense, according to Lowe, was the difference in the game, as the Pack’s defense “ignited” its offense.

“We have to get stops on the defensive end,” Lowe said. “When we do that, we’re a totally different team. Our defense certainly made the difference today.”

According to S.C. State coach Tim Carter, the Wolfpack’s inside presence was too much for his team, as the Wolfpack outscored S.C. State 38-16 in the paint, though he tired to force the Pack to take outside shots with a zone defense.

“Any time you play a team that’s bigger, stronger, faster and more physical than you are, you have to play above your game,” Carter said. “We weren’t able to do that. They took advantage of us inside with their size and athleticism.”

The Pack’s bench play “played a big part” in the win, according to Lowe, as he relied on a 10-man rotation that scored 10 points on 17 S.C. State turnovers and looked to push the ball on the break.

The next test for State will be Davidson Friday night at 7 p.m. in the RBC Center. Davidson (4-5) has already played three top-ten teams in North Carolina, UCLA, and Duke.

“It’s going to be a 40-minute, knock-down drag out fight of a game. They’ve got good players and they can play. We’re going to have to play solid defense, execute on offense and get some help from our bench. No question, it will take 40 minutes of good basketball