TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The NC State men’s basketball team (12-5, 3-1 ACC) tied its own program record with 19 three-pointers and set a new one for victory margin in an ACC road game as the Pack throttled Florida State, 113-69, Saturday afternoon.
NC State opened the season with a school record 19 three-pointers in the win over NC Central and then matched it today as the Pack shot 19-of-35 (54.3%) from long range.
In addition to tying the school record, the 19 three-pointers also tied an ACC record for most three-pointers by a single team in an ACC game.
The 44 point win was the largest margin of victory for the Pack in an ACC road game, besting the previous mark of 40 that had stood since Dec. 14, 1954 when NC State won at Clemson, 112-72.
The 113 points in the win marked the first time since Jan. 26, 1991 (100-104 loss at Maryland) that NC State has scored over 100 points in an ACC road game and was just one short of the most points the Pack has ever scored in an ACC road contest (114 in a 17-point win at Virginia on Feb. 8, 1955)
Paul McNeil, Jr., led six NC State players in double figures with 21 points. The Rockingham, N.C., native was 7-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-10 from three in the win.
Darrion Williams added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds while also passing out five assists.
Ven-Allen Lubin finished with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 7-of-8 from the foul line while also pulling down five rebounds and blocking a career-best four shots.
Matt Able came off-the-bench to score to tie his season-high with 15 points as he made a career-best five three-pointers.
One game after scoring a season-best 12 points at Boston College, Terrance Arceneaux reset his season-high with 13 points at Florida State on Saturday. He added five rebounds and a team-best four steals.
Quadir Copeland was the final Pack player in double figures, finishing with 10 points, a team-best six assists and added three steals.
Musa Sagnia did not reach double figures, but did score a career-best seven points.
NC State jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back in the first half.
With the Pack leading 15-6, NC State made seven consecutive three-pointers part of a 21-7 run to open a 36-13 lead with 6:46 to go.
NC State’s lead would grow to as many as 28 points, 48-20, on a Paul McNeil three-pointer with 3:21 left in the half.
Sagnia closed the first half by banking in a three-pointer to send the Pack into the break with a 56-31 lead.
The 56 points are the most in the first half for NC State this season as the Pack made 11 of its 21 three-point attempts.
FSU started the second half on a 10-2 run to get within 17, 58-41, with 17:45 to go, but McNeil made a three-pointer on the Pack’s next possession to start a 26-6 run that pushed the game out of reach.
The Pack is back in action next Saturday when it hosts Georgia Tech inside the Lenovo Center. Tipoff against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for noon and the game will be televised on The CW.