RALEIGH
N.C. State men’s basketball played a home game for the first time in two weeks. N.C. State snapped its two-game losing streak, but more questions remain for the Wolfpack than answers.
After leading UNC-Asheville by only two points at halftime, N.C. State picked up a 75-63 win behind a 40-point performance after the break. It wasn’t an efficient or impressive win, though, as the Pack scraped by the in-state opponent.
Head coach Will Wade also said it wasn’t the team’s best game. It didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, and the defense was a little better. He admits that bar is low.
“I wouldn’t say it was perfect. We just needed to win,” Wade said. “Been a rough couple days on them, but we needed a win. We’ve got a big week ahead of us.”
Ven-Allen Lubin led N.C. State (6-3) in scoring and rebounding, contributing his second double-double of the season. The North Carolina transfer scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, with 19 points and seven rebounds coming in the second half. Five of Lubin’s rebounds came on the offensive glass, which is more than double (2) the total rebounds the forward had against Auburn.
“He’s a captain. He’s one of the main guys leaders on this team,” Matt Able said. “When he does stuff like that, as a freshman, I just look at him, like, ‘Yo, there he goes.’ … The extra possessions we got from him, out-hustling dudes, It was just a great it was just great to see on the court. And, when you’re on the court, it just feeds into your energy. It makes you want to make those plays, play harder, do your job better.”
N.C. State’s Ven-Allen Lubin (22) slams in two in the second half during N.C. State’s 75-63 victory over UNC Asheville at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Able also responded against the Bulldogs after two lackluster outings. The true freshman scored 13 points on 5 of 8 62.5% shooting. He went 3 of 5 (60%) from 3-point range, while adding four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal.
This performance comes after Able was held scoreless against Texas and to five points against Auburn. He was 2 of 16 (12.5%) from the field during those two games. N.C. State is 4-1 when he records double figures. It is 2-2 when he’s held to single digit scoring.
Darrion Williams was held to eight points, but he added six assists and one block. He only committed one turnover.
“He was more of a playmaker today,” Wade said. “We don’t ever want Darrion to take a back seat. But, when the ball’s in his hands, good things happen. … He hasn’t been as good as he’s capable of. He’d be the first to tell you, but we’re going to get him there. I have a lot of confidence in him and a lot of belief in him and think that he’s going to be fine, long term.”
N.C. State’s Ven-Allen Lubin (22) celebrates with Alyn Breed (7) after Lubin slammed in two during the second half of N.C. State’s 75-63 victory over UNC Asheville at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
The Wolfpack, however, struggled to contain Justin Wright, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer. He scored 12 points on 5 of 9 (55.5%) shooting in the first half. As the game progressed, it did a better job guarding Wright, who was held to three points in the second to finish with 15 points.
Wright entered the game averaging 17.8 points per game on 58.8% shooting, which ranked No. 59 in the nation and No. 3 in the Big South.
Asheville (4-5) took a 12-6 lead over N.C. State thanks to three early baskets from the perimeter. The Bulldogs extended their lead to nine points with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
N.C. State used a 13-0 run, which included six made free throws, to take a four point lead. The Bulldogs responded with a 9-0 run to retake its advantage.
Ultimately, the Wolfpack took a two-point lead into the break and pulled away late in the second half. The win, however, doesn’t feel particularly good for the Wolfpack, which was favored by more than 20 points. It should’ve been more dominant against one of the worst teams in the country — on offense and defense — but it looked out of sort at times on both ends.
N.C. State’s Alyn Breed (7) pulls in the rebound from UNC Asheville’s David Hermes (23) during the first half of N.C. State’s game against UNC Asheville at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
For UNC Asheville, Toyaz Solomon and Kameron Taylor scored eight and 10 first-half points, respectively. Solomon finished with 12, while Taylor scored 20. Both average double figures this season. As a team, the Bulldogs finished 20-57 (37%) from the field after shooting 10 of 25 (40%) in the first half. N.C. State’s slow offensive start can be partially attributed to its lineup experimentation. The Wolfpack switched up its typical starting lineup and went with more size on the interior. Wade and his staff opted to start Tre Holloman, Quadir Copeland, Williams, Lubin and Scottie Ebube. Previously, Paul McNeil started at shooting guard and Lubin played at center.
When Ebube or Lubin was on the bench, Jerry Deng or Musa Sagnia was on the floor. N.C. State used two bigs for most of the first half, which, at times, made things clunky on offense. The team went to its higher-scoring lineups in the second half.
N.C. State’s head coach Will Wade talks to the team during the second half of N.C. State’s 75-63 victory over UNC Asheville at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
“We tried a lot of guys out in the first half, and then we’re going to see who played well,” Wade said. “I think there was some positive stuff from giving some guys some opportunities.”
Wade said the team is still trying to pare down its rotation and figure out who can provide the most efficiency and which groupings work best together.
“We just haven’t hit our stride. We haven’t found the right combinations yet,” Wade said. “I think that’s fairly obvious. I’m not stating anything that’s not obvious. We’ve got good players. We’ve got good pieces. It’s on us to fit it together and have everything play and look a lot tighter and a lot better than we have.”
Living and dying by the 3
Wade knows his team is giving up too many 3s at too high of a clip. He said so Wednesday night after the team’s 10-point loss to Auburn. The Bulldogs stuck around on Saturday because of the 3 ball.
Asheville shot 10-24 (41.7%) from the arc, with guard DJ Patrick making 5 of 10. The Bulldogs are the third straight team to hit at least 40% from the 3-point line against N.C. State.
This season, the Wolfpack ranks No. 230 in the nation for 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 34.5% from the arc. N.C. State gave up a 3-point attempt on 50% of its opponents field goal attempts, which ranked No. 355 in Division I, according to KenPom.
N.C. State’s Matt Able (3) drives around UNC Asheville’s David Hermes (23) during the second half of N.C. State’s 75-63 victory over UNC Asheville at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
On the other side, the offensive 3-ball fell flat for the second straight game and the team made 33% or fewer of its long balls for the third time in five games.
Paul McNeil’s second-straight off night contributed to the low percentage from the arc. McNeil shot 1 of 5 (20%) against Auburn and was 1 of 6 (16.6%) against Asheville. Similarly, Terrance Arceneaux, Jerry Deng and Darrion Williams went a combined 0 for 6 on Saturday.
Rebounding keeps Pack in the game
For the first time in two weeks, rebounding was one of the areas that kept the Wolfpack in the game.
Asheville led N.C. State, 12-10, on rebounding in the first half, but N.C. State increased its effort to win the rebounding margin substantially. The Pack held a 23-16 advantage on the glass; a 6-2 lead on offensive boards turned into 10 second-chance points before halftime
That trend continued in the second half as N.C. State held onto a slim rebounding margin. It finished 38-32 off the glass and 15 points on second-chance opportunities. Those extra possessions played a key role in the Wolfpack’s ability to break away in what could’ve been a much closer game.
UNC Asheville’s Myles Mayfield (5) fouls N.C. State’s Darrion Williams (1) during the second half of N.C. State’s 75-63 victory over UNC Asheville at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
In the previous five games, the Wolfpack averaged 32.2 rebounds per game and finished with back-to-back season lows against Texas and Auburn, 28 and 22, respectively.
N.C. State still desperately needs to get better — there were several 50/50 balls that it could’ve come up with — but a slight improvement is still an improvement.
Breed makes small but significant impact
N.C. State guard Alyn Breed provided a dose of energy, especially in the first half. Breed, who transferred from McNeese State, finished with two points, three rebounds and two assists.
His impact surpassed the stat line. “Coach Wade talked about not just playing for box score stats and doing the little stuff that you don’t see in the box score,” Able said. “He’s probably the best example that. He didn’t have those points, rebounds, steals, but every toughness play that he was around, he made the play. He was just playing super hard.”
Breed drew a foul early in the game and made both free throws to tie the game at 16. He also ran the baseline on a play, finding Jerry Deng in the lane for a one-handed dunk.
N.C. State’s Tre Holloman (5) hugs Quadir Copeland (11) in the first half of N.C. State’s game against UNC Asheville at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Breed, on defense, provided toughness in the press, giving opposing players little room to move on the front end. He moved his feet effectively and had his hands in the face.
While his numbers weren’t huge, but N.C. State may not have won without the senior’s effort and composure.
“Not a lot of guys in college can be willing to take that [nonscoring] role and accept it, but he did,” Lubin said. “We really appreciate him for that.
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 3:23 PM.
