While the opponent might not be noteworthy, Wednesday will be a significant night for North Carolina State when it hosts Maryland-Eastern Shore in Raleigh, N.C.
The Wolfpack (5-2) will play this game inside the historic Reynolds Coliseum in front of a sold-out crowd. NC State typically plays in the much larger PNC Arena away from campus, but will play in the on-campus Reynolds — where its women’s basketball team still plays — because the school will unveil a statue of David Thompson before the game.
Thompson was the Most Outstanding Player at the 1974 Final Four, a three-time All-American and a three-time ACC Player of the Year. He entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, and has his No. 44 retired by the Wolfpack and his No. 33 retired by the Denver Nuggets. Thompson, 69, will speak at the statue unveiling.
NC State is coming off its first ACC win of the season, an 84-78 overtime victory at Boston College.
“I am pumped for our team. Excited for their play, excited for a lot of guys. I thought we did a lot of good things,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “I thought we answered the bell. They went up two, we came down and made a three. We made our free throws. We did a good job down the stretch, so I am very happy with our guys, and we just want to continue to build on this.”
DJ Horne led the Wolfpack in that victory with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. Mohamed Diarra had 18 rebounds to go along with eight points and two blocks.
Maryland-Eastern Shore (2-5) has lost three straight games, all on the road, at Notre Dame, Liberty and East Carolina. On Monday in an 11-point loss to the Pirates, Chace Davis led the Hawks with 13 points, while Devon Ellis had 12 points.
“I thought we did an excellent job of rebounding the ball and playing defense,” Hawks coach Jason Crafton said. “ECU is one of the top rebounding teams in the country, so I was glad of the way we competed in that area. Shot selection and turnovers were ultimately what hurt us tonight. We will have to be better at taking care of the ball and playing smarter as we prepare for Wednesday night’s game at NC State.”
NC State is 4-0 all-time against UMES. Since the 1999-2000 season, the Wolfpack men are 24-2 inside Reynolds.
–Field Level Media
