NC State overwhelms St. Paul’s College

Scott Wood was the first player to commit for NC State in the Class of 2009. He also became the first from the group to make a strong impression Thursday night against St. Paul’s College in front of 5,123 fans at Reynolds Coliseum.

Wood went on a first-half three-point shooting spree against the undermanned Tigers, making all four of his shots from beyond the arc for all 12 of his points. Junior center Tracy Smith scored a game-high 21 points to complement Wood in the Wolfpack’s 84-42 victory in their lone exhibition game of the preseason.

Wood was the lone player from the Class of 2009 to start, but three of his classmates played extensively. Power forward DeShawn Painter had eight points and six rebounds, center Jordan Vandenberg had six points, five rebounds and three assists, and forward Josh Davis added three points and three rebounds. The last of the freshman, power forward Richard Howell, sat out with a knee injury.

If it wasn’t Wood spotting up on the perimeter, then it was 6-foot-7 Smith working underneath. He powered his way for 11 of his points in the first half against St. Paul’s, whose tallest player was 6-4.

Junior point guard Javier Gonzalez ran the show, and while he wasn’t looking for his shot, he seemed to be in the right place, collecting six assists, five rebounds and four steals, but did have three turnovers. He pushed the tempo along with fifth-year shooting guard Farnold Degand, who is making the transition from point guard. Gonzalez had five points and Degand had six points, six rebounds and four assists in 17 minutes.

NC State shot 15 of 27 in the first half for 55.6 percent, while St. Paul’s struggled, going 9 of 34 for 26.5 percent.

NC State continued its hot shooting in the second half. The Wolfpack finished 33 of 56 for 58.9 percent, while the Tigers were 15 of 68 for 22.1 percent.

The Wolfpack did struggle some on the boards, with St. Paul’s collecting 19 offensive rebounds in the first half.

NC State opens the regular season Nov. 12 against Georgia State at the RBC Center.