Associated Press
RALEIGH ó Lorenzo Brown has embraced his new role as North Carolina Stateís point guard so much that his teammates often remind him to shoot.
He is getting the message.
Brown scored a career-high 21 points to help the Wolfpack beat Elon 82-67 on Friday night.
ěHeís our point guard, and I think heís too unselfish at times,î N.C. Stateís Scott Wood said. ěThere are a lot of times when he gets someone who may not be able to keep him in front, so he just has to know when to look to score and when to pass.î
Brown made 9 of 16 shots from the field against Elon and added six assists. He had been averaging just 9.4 shot attempts per game.
ěI just saw an opportunity to score, and I was taking it,î Brown said. ěIt wasnít like I was trying to hog the ball or anything. But I just saw a chance and I took it.î
Wood added 15 points on 5-of-6 3-point shooting for the Wolfpack (5-1), who defeated the Phoenix for the ninth time in a row.
N.C. State outrebounded Elon 49-33 and built a 44-22 advantage on points in the lane.
C.J. Leslie scored 13 points and C.J. Williams had 10 points for the Wolfpack, who led by as many as 25 points in the second half.
Lucas Troutman scored 22 points to lead Elon (3-2), whose three-game winning streak ended. Sebastian Koch added 12 points and Jack Isenbarger scored 11 for the Phoenix.
ěWhatís disappointing for me is that we didnít play as well as we can play,î Elon coach Matt Matheny said. ěBut Iím not certain that if we wouldíve played better that it would mean we wouldíve won the game.î
N.C. State seized control with a 20-2 run in the early minutes. Brown made three baskets and assisted on four others, including two 3-pointers by Wood, as the Wolfpack turned a 5-1 deficit into a 21-7 lead.
Elon shot 1 of 12 from the field and had five turnovers during N.C. Stateís charge. The Phoenix answered with buckets on four consecutive possessions to draw within 24-17 with 8 minutes left in the half but never got closer.
The Wolfpack led 43-32 at halftime, benefiting from Brownís pace-pushing penetration. N.C. State finished with a 24-9 edge in fast-break points, including a 15-2 advantage in the first half.
ěI thought in the first half Lorenzo Brown was terrific,î N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. ěHeís getting better at reading in the open floor and on the break when to attack and when not to attack and how to get in the paint.î
N.C. State scored the first five points of the second half and produced a 10-0 run to increase its lead to 65-44 with 11:30 to go.
Brown added a layup during that stretch after chasing down a loose ball that resulted when Leslie tried to lob the ball to himself for a dunk in transition.
Gottfried, coaching his first game for the Wolfpack in Reynolds Coliseum, removed Leslie from the game without changing his facial expression. He whispered into Leslieís ear after Leslie sat on the bench, drawing big smiles from Leslie and DeShawn Painter.
ěI was very nice and just said I would like to see him make a layup,î Gottfried said. ěI call those ëspectacular nothings.í Again, we want to make sure we play the game right and always take advantage of opportunities to get the ball in the basket. . He was trying to be a little too cute.î
The Associated Press
11/25/11 22:20