Dismal first half sinks NC State against Memphis

After a dismal first half, N.C. State charged hard in the final 20 minutes but fell short to No. 16 Memphis in the Barclays Center Classic, 83-78, in New York.

N.C. State (5-2) trailed 55-39 after the first 20 minutes, the most points it has given up in a half this season. But the Wolfpack tightened the hatches after the intermission and got back as close as three points in the final minutes before Memphis (6-1) closed the game out.

Markell Johnson led N.C. State with 22 points and six assists. Jericole Hellems added 17 points and DJ Funderburk 14 for the Wolfpack.

Boogie Ellis led Memphis with 21 points. The Tigers were playing without superstar freshman James Wiseman, who is serving a 12-game suspension as punishment for accepting a loan from coach Penny Hardaway (before he was the team’s coach) for moving expenses. They were also without freshman guard Lester Quinones (broken right hand), although freshman center Malcolm Dandridge played his first game after suffering a torn meniscus in February. Dandridge finished with two points and a rebound.

Memphis outrebounded N.C. State 39-26 and outshot the Wolfpack from long range. The Tigers sank 8 of 12 3-pointers (67 percent) compared to just 6 of 19 (32 percent) for the Wolfpack. That included a 3-for-3 effort from long range for Memphis’ Tyler Harris, who scored 14 points off the bench.

Freshman Precious Achiuwa grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for Memphis and tallied 15 points.

N.C. State is back in action on Wednesday at home against Wisconsin.

This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Dismal first half sinks NC State against Memphis."