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NC State men's basketball surges back to beat South Carolina on a late 3-pointer in exhibition

2019_WP_Icon512x512by: The Wolfpacker10/27/25TheWolfpacker
Darrion Williams
NC State senior power forward Darrion Williams was voted the preseason ACC Player of the Year. (Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral)

By Noah Fleischman

GREENSBORO, N.C. — As Will Wade walked out of the tunnel at First Horizon Coliseum, the few thousand in attendance rose to their feet in the moments before the tipoff of NC State’s first-year coach’s unofficial game of his tenure with the Wolfpack. He appeared to appreciate the excitement, quickly feeding into the crowd’s energy by pumping his fists near midcourt. 

From then on, it was all basketball for the 42-year-old coach and his much-anticipated new-look Wolfpack roster against South Carolina. But as a team with nine transfers and four true freshmen added to the lone scholarship returner in sophomore Paul McNeil Jr., there were plenty of growing pains. 

NC State missed 11 free throws, had 11 turnovers and allowed South Carolina to haul in 11 offensive rebounds. Despite those miscues, the Wolfpack weathered the storm as McNeil knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left to earn an 88-86 win over the Gamecocks on Sunday evening. 

Senior center Ven-Allen Lubin led NC State with 18 points and 5 rebounds, while senior guards Quadir Copeland and Tre Holloman added 16 points each. Senior forward Darrion Williams, meanwhile, scored 14 points with 6 rebounds.

Here are TheWolfpacker.com’s observations from the Pack’s electric win over South Carolina. 

Defense is still a work in progress

All it took was two defensive breakdowns that led to an open 3-pointer and a free runway for an easy dunk for Will Wade to get animated on the Wolfpack’s home sideline. He was visibly frustrated with the blown assignments, and once the next stoppage came, Wade met his players near the middle of the court to quickly point out what he saw. 

While Wade wasn’t pleased with that sequence, NC State’s 2-point defense proved to be a work in progress against South Carolina. The Gamecocks made nine of its first 10 shots inside the 3-point arc, which allowed the visitors to build an early 8-point lead.

Although South Carolina shot 11-of-15 inside the 3-point line in the first half, NC State’s defense woke up after halftime. The Wolfpack forced a pair of shot-clock violations in the first 2:50 of the second half, which allowed them to go on a 7-0 run — all by Copeland — to take a 49-47 lead in the early stages of the period.

NC State’s defense clamped down on South Carolina, limiting the Gamecocks to a 15-of-20 mark inside the arc across the final 30 minutes. The Pack also forced 10 second-half turnovers, which led to 4 extra points to win.

Sure, the defense’s up-and-down performance will likely leave Wade frustrated with the first-half film, but he and his staff’s ability to correct the mistakes in the locker room is a positive sign for NC State moving forward. 

Highs and lows with freshmen

The exhibition served as a critical learning experience for NC State’s two standout freshmen in forward Musa Sagnia and guard Matt Able. It was their first time playing an opposing team in front of Wolfpack faithful, and with that came the highs and lows that come with first-year players in significant roles. 

A highlight? Able’s poster of South Carolina forward Hayden Assemian as he finished through contact on a fastbreak to earn an and-1 opportunity in the process. Take a look:

But a not-so-great note? Sagnia, who played some at the power forward and center spots, didn’t box out South Carolina point guard Eli Ellis, who leaped over the 6-foot-10 forward for a putback layup. On the ensuing trip down the floor, Sagnia appeared to have an open layup, but he wasn’t able to finish at the rim before being subbed off as he seemed to be winded from an extended period on the floor. 

In all, Able scored 2 points with 2 rebounds in 16 minutes of action, while Sagnia added 3 points and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes on the floor.

The two freshmen have high upside and are expected to continue to improve, and the Wolfpack’s only open exhibition of the preseason provided a good amount of film to learn from moving forward.

Quadir Copeland impresses

Need a sparkplug? Look to Copeland to get the offense rolling. The former McNeese (and Syracuse) standout, who started at point guard, was able to inject much-needed life into the Wolfpack offense in the early stages of the second half.

Copeland, a guard who isn’t afraid to battle inside (and let the opponents know afterward about it), went on a 7-0 run by himself to pull the Pack ahead 49-47 less than four minutes into the second half.

The Philadelphia native was an efficient scorer as nearly all of his shot attempts came around the rim with his acrobatic finishes.

Although Copeland is likely to split time at point guard with Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman — and the two can play together on the floor — his ability to energize an entire arena is a trait that not many have. The Wolfpack is glad to have him on its side, especially with his skin-tight defense on the other end of the floor.