Pack Takes Down The Citadel 72-59 on Opening Night

Monday, November 6

Raleigh, NC

7 PM

NC State

1-0,0-0ACC

The Citadel

0-1,0-0SoCon

The Citadel

NC State

Pack Takes Down The Citadel 72-59 on Opening Night

11/7/2023 8:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Burns led all scorers with 16 points to help the Pack move to 1-0

RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State men's basketball team tipped off the 2023-24 campaign with a 72-59 victory over The Citadel Monday night inside of PNC Arena.

DJ Burns Jr., put up 16 points to lead the Wolfpack offensively. Michael O'Connell finished with 14 points, seven assists and zero turnovers while Mohamed Diarra posted his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

Burns picked up where he left off last season, scoring the Pack's first six points of the contest with three early layups.

O'Connell pushed the Pack to an early 15-6 lead with a three-pointer nine minutes into the game. Two more O'Connell threes in the final two minutes of the first half helped the Wolfpack build a 36-27 lead heading into halftime.

Burns led all NC State scorers in the opening half, going six-for-six from the field with 12 points. The Pack led by as many as 11 points on two separate occasions in the first.

NC State established a 15-point lead in the second half when Mohamed Diarra's second three of the frame set the score at 53-38. Diarra collected seven rebounds in each half to move his total to 14, the most in a debut under head coach Kevin Keatts.

Veteran Casey Morsell and newcomer Jayden Taylor each posted a three-pointer in the final three minutes of regulation to guide the Pack to the 72-59 win.

O'Connell's seven assists ranks second all-time in NC State history in a player's debut under Keatts.

The Pack has now won 29 of its last 30 home-openers against a non-conference opponent.

The Wolfpack returns to action on Friday, November 10 for a 7 p.m. showdown with Abilene Christian inside PNC Arena.