It wasn’t easy, but NC State survived against Colgate. Here’s how the Wolfpack won

In its first full game without junior center Manny Bates, the N.C. State Wolfpack came out on top in a barn-burner against the Colgate Raiders, winning 77-74.

The victory was sealed at the end after redshirt sophomore Dereon Seabron drove aggressively to the basket and got fouled with the score tied at 74, making both free throws with 2.0 seconds left in the game. He led the way for N.C. State throughout the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds, getting great looks driving to the rim.

“I didn’t want a jump shot at that time,” head coach Kevin Keatts said about the game-winning play. “I wanted something hard to the basket.”

The play was designed originally for sophomore forward Ebenezer Dowuona to set a screen and roll to the rim for a lob pass, but Seabron got the open lane and earned himself a trip to the free-throw line.

“When I was coming off a ball screen, they were going under,” Seabron said. “I just feel like if they’re trailing, I can beat them to the rim.”

Last year’s Patriot League champions came to PNC arena looking to attack the Wolfpack from deep early in the game. The team didn’t make a two-point field goal until the 12:39 mark in the first half. Oliver Lynch-Daniels of Colgate shot a perfect 3 for 3 from downtown in the first half, leading the game with 11 points after 20 minutes.

The Raiders finished the game 12 of 26 from beyond the arc. Keatts said he scheduled the game for his team to be challenged, and the scouting report did not disappoint. Junior guard Casey Morsell said that N.C. State knew Colgate would make a lot of 3 and that the team needed to step up defensively.

“A team like that tests our discipline, Morsell said. “Tests to see whether or not we’re going to be disciplined, we’re going to be locked in on scouting reports, and whether or not we’re ready to play, essentially.”

On the other end, N.C. State mostly looked inside for offense and did not take many 3-pointers in the beginning of the game. In the half-court set, many of the team’s shots came from midrange in the first half, beginning with Morsell’s opening pull-up jumper. To mix it up, the guards drove inside for paint finishes. Sophomore guard Cam Hayes used his handle to get past Raider defenders and finish layups in traffic, finishing with 10 points in the half

State held the lead for the majority of the half, leading by as many as 10, but Colgate wouldn’t go away and chipped away at the lead the entire game, even leading in brief spurts in the second half.

The team relied on the offense of Seabron and Morsell throughout the game, but especially in the second half. Morsell finished with a game-high 22 points, as the team went through him down the stretch. Two games into the season, the Virginia transfer is finding his spots on offense.

“I thought Casey Morsell kind of broke out of his shell,” Keatts said. “He hit some big shots for us down the stretch, made some great plays.”

Freshman guard Terquavion Smith began to come alive for the Wolfpack in the second half. In his college debut on Tuesday, he scored 20 points off the bench but had a quiet first half on Saturday. He made timely shots for the Wolfpack with the game in the balance, including a fast-break layup, a lead-taking 3-pointer and an impressive chase-down block on Lynch-Daniels.

“(Terquavion) is a big energy guy, and one of the things I love about him is his confidence,” Seabron said. “He’s not scared to take a shot. Even though he’s a freshman, he plays like he’s been here before.”

Colgate’s Tucker Richardson tied the score at 74 with about 11 seconds left, and Keatts’ squad called timeout at half court. Right after the small break, the team went to Seabron, who went full-speed to the rim to draw contact on a layup attempt.

After a pair of free throws, the Wolfpack came out on top.

“It was a ball game that came down to the last four minutes,” Keatts said. “We always talk about winning the four minute stretches, and our guys found a way to win the four-minute stretch.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 4:21 PM with the headline "It wasn’t easy, but NC State survived against Colgate. Here’s how the Wolfpack won."