Dereon Seabron sparked two surges by North Carolina State and finished with 24 points as the Wolfpack defeated winless Central Connecticut State 79-65 on Tuesday night in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase in Uncasville, Conn.
With the Wolfpack leading 54-53 near the nine-minute mark, Seabron converted a three-point play. He also scored on NC State’s next possession in what turned into a 13-0 spurt.
Seabron, who was named the Player of the Week for the Atlantic Coast Conference for the season’s first week, tacked on seven more points in the last four minutes. He was 8-for-12 from the field and 8-for-10 on free throws. He also collected a game-high nine rebounds.
Terquavion Smith had 11 points and five assists, Cam Hayes chipped in with 10 points and Casey Morsell added eight points for NC State (3-0), which played away from home for the first time – albeit in a neutral-court setting.
The Wolfpack shot 11-for-23 on 3-pointers.
Tre Mitchell supplied 14 points and reserves Trenton McLaughlin (13 points) and Stephane Ayangma (10 points) helped Central Connecticut State (0-3). Andre Snoddy and Ian Krishnan each added nine points for the Blue Devils, who shot 40 percent from the field.
Central Connecticut State led 33-32 at halftime despite NC State scoring the last five points — all by Seabron.
The Wolfpack began the second half on a 10-2 run, with Morsell pouring in half of those points.
That was a quick turnaround from a first-half stretch in which the Wolfpack shot 2-for-16.
McLaughlin connected on a couple of 3-point shots as the margin dipped to one point before NC State pulled away again.
Wednesday’s matchups for the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase were predetermined. Central Connecticut State takes on UMass-Lowell, while NC State faces Oklahoma State.
–Field Level Media
