By Nolan Hayes

Associated Press

RALEIGH (AP) — Torin Dorn tied a career-high with 26 points to help North Carolina State beat Bryant 95-72 on Tuesday night.

Lennard Freeman added a career-high 20 points and Allerik Freeman had 15 for the Wolfpack (3-0), who rallied from a 12-point deficit early in the first half.

Markell Johnson had 10 points and a career-high 11 assists for N.C. State, and Darius Hicks scored a career-high 10 points.

Adam Grant scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half to lead Bryant (0-2). Ryan Layman added 14 points, Sabastian Townes had 13, and Bosko Kostur had 11 for the Bulldogs.

Bryant began the game 9 for 9 from the field, including three 3-pointers, on its way to a 21-10 lead, but the Wolfpack answered with a 13-0 spurt and never trailed again.

Braxton Beverly scored two points in his Wolfpack debut. The NCAA cleared Beverly to play immediately shortly before tipoff after reconsidering an ineligibility ruling tied to summer courses the freshman took at Ohio State.

BIG PICTURE

Bryant: The Bulldogs weren’t good enough to hang with N.C. State for 40 minutes, but they showed how formidable they can be at their best. Their onslaught from the opening tip sapped the energy from the building before they wilted against the Wolfpack’s full-court press.

N.C. State: Say this for the Wolfpack: They never panicked. Even after giving up a couple of layups in the opening minutes, N.C. State stayed with its pressure defense and erased Bryant’s lead more quickly than the Bulldogs built it. The Wolfpack have yet to be tested, opening their season with three consecutive 20-point wins for the first time since 2004.

UP NEXT

Bryant plays its home opener against Navy on Saturday before hitting the road for seven of its next eight games.

N.C. State wraps up its season-opening four-game homestand on Thursday against Presbyterian.