Happy New Year, Three Points from Saturday's home win over the Catamounts:
1) Putting the 'free' in free throws
Since going 13 of 20 (65 percent) from the free-throw line in a four-point loss to Stanford on Dec. 4, N.C. State has gone 61 of 76 (80.2 percent) in the past five games.
State was 16 of 21 against Western Carolina but three of the misses were by reserves Kendall Smith and Staats Battle in the waning moments of the 82-55 blowout.
RALEIGH — What N.C. State lacked on offense in the first 4 minutes of Saturday's game with Western Carolina, it made up for in the final 36.
All five starters scored in double-figures to more than make up for a sluggish holiday start in a 82-55 win over the Catamounts.
Senior C.J. Williams led the scoring parade with 21 points and forward Richard Howell added 12 points and 14 rebounds for one of the Pack's most dominant wins of the season.
Any remaining doubt in N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson’s ability to successfully play two sports was extinguished Saturday night.
Wilson missed spring practice while he played for the Wolfpack baseball team and spent the summer as a minor-league second baseman in the Colorado Rockies’ farm system.
He looked as sharp as ever, though, while dissecting Western Carolina’s secondary in N.C. State’s 48-7, season-opening win at Carter-Finley Stadium. Wilson showed the same pocket presence and passing ability that made him a first-team All-ACC selection in 2008 and the ACC’s touchdown pass leader in 2009.
Jocelyn Keen of Fuquay-Varina will accept a track and field scholarship to Western Carolina.
She was fourth in the NCHSAA 4-A 800 meters outdoors last spring.
Western Carolina reliever Daniel Ottone, of Cary, was named one of the Southern Conference’s pitchers of the week on Monday.
The right-handed reliever, formerly of Athens Drive, helped Western Carolina beat No. 24 Southern California in Los Angeles last week, shutting down the Trojans, first striking out the side and earning a save in last Friday’s 3-2 win and then finishing the game in Western’s 9-3 win on Sunday.
Read more here.
Western Carolina reliever Daniel Ottone, of Cary, was named one of the Southern Conference’s pitchers of the week on Monday.
The right-handed reliever helped Western Carolina beat No. 24 Southern California in Los Angeles last week, shutting down the Trojans, first striking out the side and earning a save in last Friday’s 3-2 win and then finishing the game in Western’s 9-3 win on Sunday.
At Western Carolina University, a summer graduation ceremony has gotten the axe.
Savings realized? $15,000.
Sorry for the clunky headline on this post, but I frankly don't know how to succintly summarize this story.
A dead, 75-pound bear cub was found at the entrance to Western Carolina University plastered in Barack Obama campaign signs. It was shot, apparently.
The local newspaper has all the details.
