Asspociated Press
RALEIGH — Lorenzo Brown is figuring out when he should pass to his North Carolina State teammates — and when he should shoot.
Brown scored a career-high 24 points while flirting with a triple-double and helping the Wolfpack pull away to beat Campbell 87-81 on Thursday night.
“I’ve always thought he was meant to play point guard, and he knows when to look to score and he knows when to get teammates open,” said Scott Wood, one of Brown’s primary beneficiaries. “He’s in there rebounding … probably the best or one of the best guard rebounders we have.”
Richard Howell added 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and Wood finished with 16 points for N.C. State (9-4), which was 28 of 31 from the free-throw line and held a 40-22 rebounding advantage, but needed a late 13-2 run to finally pull away from the inspired, hot-shooting Camels.
“We were annihilated on the glass,” Campbell coach Robbie Laing said. “Howell dominated the paint and Lorenzo Brown, what a phenomenal game he had as well. I think any time you get a (point guard) and a (center) like that, one taking care of the paint and the other running the floor, dissecting like a surgeon, you’ve got a pretty good night going.”
Brown finished with eight rebounds and eight assists — and was 14 of 16 from the foul line — to help the Wolfpack win their third straight and fourth in five games, with the only loss in that stretch coming to No. 1 Syracuse.
Darren White, who entered averaging a Big South-leading 20.8 points, finished with 25. Lorne Merthie and Trey Freeman scored 15 apiece for Campbell (8-6), which shot nearly 51 percent (29 of 57) and hit nine 3-pointers.
“I didn’t think they could shoot the 3 like that,” Brown said.
Campbell closed within three before the Wolfpack started the decisive run with Brown’s three-point play with 8:41 left and taking their first double-figure lead when Johnson’s steal and layup made it 75-65 with just under 7 minutes remaining.
Leslie added 10 points for N.C. State.
“This team right here is going to win a lot of games because they can score it,” N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. “They can score the ball. They’ve done it on everybody. And I don’t know in the first half if, truly, our guys, they’re listening. But by halftime, at that point they I think believed that they were in for a tough night.”
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WINSTON-SALEM — C.J. Harris scored 23 points and Wake Forest held off pesky Yale’s second-half rally to win 72-71.
Travis McKie added 14 points, Nikita Mescheriakov 13 and Tony Chennault 10 for the Demon Deacons (9-4), who never trailed in the game but saw the Bulldogs make things interesting in the final minutes.
Wake Forest led by as many as 19 points midway through the final half, only to see Yale pull within 68-66 on Austin Morgan’s 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining.
But Chennault hit a layup 12 seconds later, followed by Harris’ two free throws, to give the Demon Deacons some breathing room.
TOP 25
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Freshman Eli Carter scored a career-high 31 points and hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime as Rutgers rallied to stun Florida 85-83.
The Scarlet Knights (8-5) came back from a seven-point deficit late in regulation and Carter hit a late 3-pointer in the first overtime to put the Scarlet Knights in position for their biggest win since knocking off No. 9 Villanova at home last season.
Erving Walker had a chance to tie the game for the Gators (11-2) in the final seconds, but his off-balance attempt from the foul line hit off the rim.
Kenny Boynton had 26 points for Florida, which snapped a five-game win streak.
NO. 17 KANSAS 89, HOWARD 34
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Tyshawn Taylor and Connor Teahan scored 13 points each, and Kansas emptied its bench during a blowout of overmatched, undersized Howard.
NO. 18 MICHIGAN 71, PENN STATE 53
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 26 points, and Trey Burke added 13 points and seven assists to lead Michigan over Penn State in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
NO. 24 HARVARD 67, BC 46
BOSTON — Reserve Laurent Rivard scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting to help give Harvard over Boston College.
Corbin Miller scored 12 points, Brandyn Curry 11 and Christian Webster 10 for the Crimson (11-1). It was the fourth straight season Harvard has beaten BC on the Eagles’ home court.