RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) C.J. Bryce scored 18 points to help North Carolina State beat Little Rock 74-58 on Saturday.
Markell Johnson added 12 points for the Wolfpack (5-1), who won their fifth consecutive game.
N.C. State took the lead with an early 12-2 run and pulled away late in the first half with a 12-0 spurt. The Wolfpack, who surged ahead by as many as 24 points in the first half, led 39-21 at halftime.
Ben Coupet Jr. scored 21 points to lead Little Rock (3-3), which shot 37%. Ruot Monyyong added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans.
Monyyong and Coupet combined to shoot 17 of 27 from the floor. Their other teammates made 5 of 32 shots.
The Trojans trimmed N.C. State’s lead to 15 with 13:40 remaining, but they got no closer until the final minute.
BIG PICTURE
Little Rock: The Trojans were coming off a 68-58 loss at No. 16 Memphis in which they trailed by two points late in the second half, but they couldn’t duplicate that performance. Turnovers again were a problem. Little Rock, which had 26 turnovers against Memphis, had 11 in the first half Saturday that led to 14 points for N.C. State.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack were impressive on both ends of the floor, especially in the first half. They moved the ball effectively on offense, scoring on 10 consecutive possessions while building their lead. They also showed attention to detail on defense, bottling up Little Rock point guard Markquis Nowell (eight points).
UP NEXT
Little Rock: After playing five of their first six games on the road, the Trojans host St. Francis Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack leave the comforts of home for the first time this season when they play Memphis on Thursday in Brooklyn, New York.
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