North Carolina State Wolfpack Stifled by Top-Ranked South Carolina Gamecocks' Defense

The North Carolina State Wolfpack, ranked 11th, faced a challenging contest against the number 1 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, with the final scoreboard reading 78-59 in favor of the home team. The Wolfpack now stand with a record of 0-1 after this encounter, while the Gamecocks advance with a victorious 1-0 start.

From tip-off at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, both teams were neck and neck in the first half. The North Carolina State squad put up an impressive fight early on, matching the Gamecocks point for point in the first quarter at 16 each. They continued to keep pace through to halftime but trailed slightly with a score of 31-32.

The third quarter proved pivotal as South Carolina began to pull away significantly. The home team's defense tightened up and their offense surged to add an impressive 29 points compared to North Carolina State's six points during that period. This surge was bolstered by their remarkable field goal percentage which stood at a solid fifty percent throughout the game.

North Carolina State struggled offensively against South Carolina's formidable defense but managed to make twenty field goals out of sixty-two attempts resulting in a thirty-two percent shooting rate from the field. From beyond the arc, they converted six out of twenty-three attempts which amounted to twenty-six percent three-point shooting accuracy.

Despite being outrebounded by fourteen boards overall—32 for North Carolina State versus forty-six for South Carolina—the Wolfpack showed resilience on offensive rebounds grabbing ten compared to their opponents' ten as well. However, they were unable to capitalize fully on these second-chance opportunities scoring twelve second-chance points throughout the game.

On defense, North Carolina State managed nine steals and blocked one shot but allowed forty-four points in paint which contributed heavily towards their defeat. Their assist-turnover ratio stood low at zero point forty-two due largely to twelve turnovers over five assists given during playtime.

In individual performances for North Caroline State; although not explicitly mentioned within provided data it can be inferred that there were notable efforts made by players who fought hard under pressure from such high-ranked opposition.

As fans look forward toward future games they can catch all action live where every dribble and shot will be crucial as North Caroline State aims for redemption following this tough loss against top-tier competition like South Caroline Gamecocks.