NC State responds with win over Boise State. What we learned from Game 2 in Maui

N.C. State’s Darrion Williams reacts after knocking down a three-point basket during the second half of the Wolfpack’s 110-64 win over UNC Greensboro on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C.

Kaitlin McKeown

The News & Observer

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• Wolfpack rebounded from Maui opener loss, beating Boise State 81-70, forcing 15 turnovers.
• Defense limited Boise State to 33.9% shooting, produced 13 steals and contested paint.
• Frontcourt improved second-half rebounding; Lubin recorded 11 points and 12 rebounds.

N.C. State started Feast Week with a red wreck in its Game 1 blowout loss to Seton Hall in the Maui Invitational. Game 2, however, looked much different for the Wolfpack, which rebounded and looked more like itself in an 81-70 win over Boise State on Tuesday.

N.C. State’s game against Boise State was a game of runs, which included the No. 23 Wolfpack opening and ending the first half on significant scoring runs. N.C. State led by as many as 10 midway through the first half. The Broncos, however, held the Wolfpack scoreless for six minutes midway through the first to erase its own deficit and put pressure on the opposition.

In response, the Pack outscored Boise State 12-2 before halftime. The Broncos opened the second half on an 11-2 run and retook the lead, but, again, N.C. State powered past the Mountain West foe with a 12-3 stretch to get back in the win column.

NC State’s play so far in Maui

N.C. State didn’t always shoot the ball well in its 85-74 loss to Seton Hall on Monday, but head coach Will Wade said it had bigger issues than its 3-point shooting.

“We can’t talk about it anymore,” Wade said in his pregame speech. “We’ve gotta be about action.”

After giving up a season-high 85 points, 51.8% shooting percentage and getting outscored in the paint by 14 points by the Pirates, the Wolfpack’s defense had a far better showing against the Broncos.

Boise State (4-3) shot 19 of 56 (33.9%) from the field, went 11 of 33 (33.3%) from 3, as the N.C. State defense drove the Broncos from the paint. The Broncos turned the ball over 15 times, which the Pack turned into 13 steals and 24 points.

“I thought our guards were more active,” Wade said after the game. “We weren’t getting blown by as much. … This was just a step in the right direction. This is nowhere near where we need to be.”

Wolfpack foul trouble

N.C. State (5-1) might’ve been a little too aggressive. Darrion Williams, Tre Holloman and Quadir Copeland all fouled out in the final minutes, but Wade has said he wants to tell his players “whoa” instead of “go.”

“I think we got punked yesterday to be blunt about it,” Williams said. “We wanted to come out and be aggressive today.”

Williams led the Pack with 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Paul McNeil, Terrance Arceneaux and Ven-Allen Lubin added double figures. Lubin picked up an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. It was his first of the season.

Terrance Arceneaux and his Achilles injury

Arceneaux provided a strong performance off the bench, scoring 11 points, pulling down four rebounds, dishing out two assists, blocking two shots and stealing the ball three times. Arceneaux has played limited minutes this season due to a nagging Achilles injury, but he made his presence known against the Broncos.

“It’s about time. We had a spirited conversation last night, me and him,” Wade said. “I told him, ‘I’m tired of waiting around. You can either do it or your (expletive) needs to sit, and we’ll just say your Achilles is hurt, and we’ll move on. But everything has been cleared. It’s time to play.’

“I knew he was capable. That’s why we signed him. He’s a good player. But he’s got to play, and he did a good job today, and now we’ve got to do it consistently because we’ve got to turn it around and do it again tomorrow.”

Matt Able also contributed nine points and led the team with five steals.

Dylan Andrews led the Broncos with 26 points, including five 3-pointers. Andrew Meadow, Boise State’s leading scorer, was held to six points.

Two types of starts

The starts to the first half and second halves were vastly different for the Wolfpack, one it can be proud of and one it might want to redo.

N.C. State jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first 2 ½ minutes of the game, led by Williams and Lubin. Williams, who scored two points in the first half against Seton Hall, and Lubin started a combined 4 for 4 from the field.

Williams added another basket with a little more than 14 minutes left in the first half to score seven first-half points, including the opening basket.

The Pack then jumped out to a 20-10 lead about seven minutes into the game, scoring three consecutive baskets from a trio of different players from the arc in the span of 54 seconds.

N.C. State, as a group, didn’t score eight points against Seton Hall until six minutes into play.

Beyond the scoring, N.C. State’s start was marked with purposeful movement and positive body language. The team looked engaged and aggressive, not just ready to play. Arceneaux, for example, recorded a steal on the first play of the game. Musa Sagnia blocked a shot 6 1/2 minutes into the game, which the team turned into a 3 from Matt Able during its early run.

After a strong start, N.C. State didn’t come out of the break with the same fire and intensity. In the first three minutes of the second half, it allowed Boise State to hit three 3-pointers and take a 39-36 lead.

Part of the Broncos’ strong second-half start can be attributed to Quadir Copeland’s mistakes. The Wolfpack senior committed a pair of turnovers in the first three minutes of the second half, and Boise State scored two of its early shots on those miscues.

The Pack’s response, however, was marked once again by the purpose and toughness it played with in the first half.

Rebounding inconsistency pops up again

Will Wade and his staff expected this roster to struggle off the glass, because it’s not as big as other teams. Prior to the team’s departure to Maui, however, Wade said that it was an area where the team was further ahead than expected.

That might not be the case after the first two games in Hawaii, both of which have been somewhat concerning.

N.C. State was out-rebounded by Boise State, 23-16, in the first half. The Broncos pulled down nine offensive rebounds and scored four second-chance points. Several times, no one from the Wolfpack crashed the glass and allowed the Broncos to gain possession easily.

Its second-half rebounding effort was far better than the first. The Wolfpack finished the game with a 38-36 deficit, but it out-rebounded the Broncos 20-15 in the final 20 minutes.

Lubin paced the effort on the boards, finishing with a game-high 12 rebounds. He said last week the team has the heart and the competitiveness to be a solid rebounding team.

“I want to make sure that I do that and help the team as best I can,” Lubin said earlier this month. “If that’s dominating glass, I’ll do it.”

Wade said Tuesday the team held its own. Boise State had only been out-rebounded twice in the last two seasons. The offensive rebounding has to be better, though. It gave up 14.

“We gave up three team offensive rebounds to them, where we’re fumbling the ball out of bounds and that sort of stuff,” Wade said. “We’ve got to be able to go get rim-level rebounds, two hands at the rim. We need to certainly do a better job there.”

The Wolfpack was out-rebounded 37-30 against Seton Hall and gave up 13 points on second-chance opportunities. Lubin pulled down nine of the team’s rebounds in the first game.

N.C. State entered Maui ranked No. 62 in the nation for rebounds per game (41.5) and No. 42 for defensive rebounds (29.5).

Getting the ball inside

N.C. State’s offense went stagnant at several points during the game against Boise State. Some of that can be attributed to the Broncos’ defense, which can shut down passing lanes and force turnovers, but there were times when the Wolfpack lacked communication and flow.

The team’s shooting found a rhythm when it got into transition and got the ball inside. That didn’t mean N.C. State always took shots in the paint, but it did well when it kicked the ball outside to find an open player, either for a shot or another pass.

The Wolfpack finished with 15 assists on 27 field goals. It also went seven of 16 on layups and five of six on dunks.

When the Pack was inefficient at getting paint touches, the rest of the offense got out of rhythm and players ended up taking lower-efficiency shots.

This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM.

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