Balanced scoring leads NC State to season-opening win over The Citadel

It did not take long for NC State graduate forward DJ Burns to make his presence felt in the Wolfpack’s season opener against the Citadel. He knocked down the red and white’s first three shots to give NC State a lead it never relinquished in the opening three minutes. 

Burns, who made his first six shots before he missed, helped the Wolfpack to a 72-59 win over The Citadel on Monday night at PNC Arena.

The Rock Hill, S.C., native logged a team-best 16 points and was one of three Wolfpack players in double figures as NC State displayed its balanced scoring attack in its first game of the regular season. 

“If we can get him the ball, and he’s that efficient, we’re a really good basketball team,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said of Burns. “Now, I don’t want him shooting all those jumpers that he took. I want him to score around the basket, but he was good tonight. He was really good.”

Burns was joined by Stanford transfer Michael O’Connell, who scored 14 points, and Missouri transfer Mohamed Diarra, who added 10 points with 14 rebounds — his first-career Division I double-double. 

While the Wolfpack had success inside the paint, NC State did not find that outside the arc in the opening frame. 

NC State’s 3-point shooting woes, which reared its head in the team’s exhibition with a 5-for-24 day, continued against the Bulldogs in the first half. It opened the contest 0-for-4 from beyond the arc until O’Connell nailed the team’s first triple with 11 minutes left in the first half. 

While the Wolfpack was not consistent from three as a unit, O’Connell hit a trio of 3-pointers to pace the red and white in the first half. The rest of the team combined to shoot 1-of-10 from deep, however, in the opening frame. 

Then, things started to heat up from deep for the Wolfpack. 

NC State shot 6-of-14 from three in the final 20 minutes to open up a sizable lead on The Citadel. Butler transfer Jayden Taylor and Diarra paced the Pack with a pair of three-pointers each in the final 20 minutes. 

The Wolfpack’s improved shooting numbers in the second half came as a result of increased ball movement. NC State had 11 second-half assists, which allowed more shots to fall. 

 “We made shots because we made good passes,” Keatts said. “I think any team that’s a good passing team, is a good shooting team.”

In addition to the team’s 19 total assists on the night, NC State took care of the basketball and only had nine turnovers after it posted 15 giveaways in its exhibition. 

While there were some turnovers, NC State’s two primary ball handlers — Arizona State transfer DJ Horne and O’Connell — did not have any as they combined for 13 assists. 

“It feels good to be out there with a dude you know you can trust with the ball,” O’Connell said of playing with Horne. “Obviously he’s a great player, having played against him for the past two years when we were in the PAC-12, so I know his game and what he’s capable of. I have all the confidence in the world in what he can do as a ball handler and making shots.”

O’Connell’s seven assists with no turnovers was an improvement from his three assists and five turnovers in the team’s exhibition, and Keatts said that performance motivated him to have a better showing. And it worked as he came off the bench to make his NC State debut.

“A lot of times when a guy doesn’t play well in one particular area, someone complains,” Keatts said. “Well, you’re not going to have great games all the time. He turned the ball over in the exhibition five times, and I knew the type of guy I was coaching, he’s a competitor. He didn’t like it. … I thought he was very efficient [against The Citadel]. I thought Michael responded. 

While NC State’s newcomers made an impact all over the court, two of them have yet to don a Wolfpack uniform. 

Kansas transfer guard MJ Rice was present with the team for the second straight game, but he did not dress as he works to return from his extended absence due to personal reasons. In addition, North Carolina A&T transfer Kam Woods was on the bench, but did not dress either. He is still waiting on his two-time transfer waiver to be reviewed by the NCAA.

Though the Wolfpack was without two of its key pieces of its offense, NC State coasted past The Citadel, which Keatts was proud to see. 

“I thought that was a really good start for our guys,” Keatts said. “When you look at this team, we have the ability to play in spurts, both offensively and defensively. I wanted to get out and play, and have a solid defensive game.”

NC State did just that with 14 forced turnovers, including nine steals in the team’s opener. Now, it’s on the Wolfpack to build off its solid showing in its second contest of the season Friday against Abilene Christian.