Jayden Taylor scored 16 points to lead North Carolina State to a convincing 89-63 victory against visiting Rider on Sunday in Raleigh, N.C.
The Wolfpack found high-quality shots throughout the game on the way to shooting 55.8 percent from the field. They had 21 assists on 29 field goals.
Ben Middlebrooks and reserve Breon Pass both scored 12 points and Marcus Hill added 11 points and six assists for NC State (8-4), which was in its final nonconference game. The Wolfpack also feasted on free throws, outscoring the Broncs 24-11 at the foul line.
T.J. Weeks Jr., who made 10 free throws, and Jay Alvarez, who had eight rebounds and two steals, scored 17 points apiece for Rider (4-9), which lost its seventh game in a row. The Broncs shot 4-for-16 on 3-point attempts.
NC State’s defense contributed to Rider’s shooting woes. Middlebrooks was credited with three of the Wolfpack’s five blocked shots.
An 8-0 run for the Wolfpack and an early Rider timeout were just a sampling of what was to come. Later in the first half, NC State put together a 23-2 stretch.
NC State, which lost four of its previous six games, made 12 of its first 16 shots from the field. In the first half, nine Wolfpack players were in the scoring column. It was 52-23 at halftime.
Rider was more productive after the break, eclipsing 23 in the second half with seven minutes left in the game.
NC State had nearly a six-minute stretch in the second half without a field goal, but the Wolfpack made six free throws during that span.
Taylor, who scored in double figures for only the second time in a five-game stretch, had three of NC State’s seven 3-point baskets.
Rider finished with 14 turnovers — twice as many as NC State.
The Wolfpack, which improved to 8-1 in home games, have won all three all-time meetings with Rider.
–Field Level Media
The first game of a back-to-back and three-game road trip presented the Rockets with the usual problems accompanying these scheduling quirks. How the Rockets responded spoke volumes. On Sunday, the…
Duke Miles scored 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field to lead the host Oklahoma Sooners to an 89-66 victory over Central Arkansas on Sunday afternoon in Norman, Okla….
Andrew Morgan scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Sunday as Nebraska established a 20-point halftime lead and cruised to a 66-49 win over Murray State in the quarterfinals of…
Top 25 roundup: No. 14 Oklahoma cruises, improves to 12-0
Nebraska throttles Murray State in Hawaii
NBA roundup: Nikola Jokic (triple-double) lifts Nuggets in OT
Nikola Jokic sparks rally as Nuggets top Pelicans in OT