Paul McNeil Jr. scored a career-high 47 points to lead North Carolina State to a lopsided 108-72 victory over Texas Southern on Wednesday night in Raleigh, N.C.
McNeil, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, set the program record for 3-pointers made in a single game by shooting 11-for-17 from deep range, breaking Rodney Monroe’s mark set in 1989. He was also a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe and grabbed 10 rebounds, becoming the first NC State player to score at least 40 points since TJ Warren in 2014.
The Wolfpack (8-4) also got a season-high 14 points from Jerry Deng. Quadir Copeland added seven points and a team-high nine assists.
Preseason ACC Player of the Year Darrion Williams did not play for NC State. The team said he was dealing with a shoulder injury and should return for the Wolfpack’s game on Sunday against Ole Miss in Greensboro, N.C.
Five players scored in double figures for Texas Southern (1-8), with Zaire Hayes leading the way with 17 points. Alex Anderson and Bryce Roberts each scored 14 points apiece.
McNeil scored 20 of NC State’s first 32 points. His seventh 3-pointer of the night put the Wolfpack ahead by 23 points with about four minutes to play in the first half.
NC State led wire-to-wire and its offense kept rolling in the second half at Reynolds Coliseum – the historic on-campus arena where the Wolfpack typically play once a season – as they went on to lead by as many as 43 points.
A 16-2 second half run was highlighted by a stretch where, in the span of 61 seconds, Deng swished back-to-back 3-pointers and Copeland threw down a thunderous 180-degree dunk.
The Wolfpack scored 21 points off 13 turnovers by Texas Southern and also outscored their opponents 24-12 on fastbreaks.
The result marked the third time this season NC State topped 100 points in a single game, the first time since Nov. 12 vs. UNC Greensboro.
–Field Level Media
