GREENSBORO, N.C. — N.C. State made its free throws when it counted on Sunday in Greensboro, rallying late at First Horizon Coliseum to beat Mississippi State 77-73 in a preseason exhibition, the first win of any kind for the Wolfpack under head coach Justin Gainey.
It nearly slipped away. The Wolfpack had built a three-possession cushion, then fell behind by six with under three minutes to play. From there the Bulldogs did not make another field goal over the final 2:50, and N.C. State came up with a steal and five rebounds in that stretch.
Ven-Allen Lubin put the Pack in front 72-71 from the line with a minute left and added two more foul shots with 21.7 seconds remaining. Paul McNeil sealed it with a pair at the one-second mark.
Two newcomers stood out in their first outings in red. Preston Edmead, who came over from Hofstra, shared the team lead with 16 points and went 3 of 4 from deep, scoring 11 of them after halftime. Darius Adams, a transfer from Maryland, posted 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, with 11 of his points coming before the break.
McNeil also scored 16 despite a 3-of-11 day from the field, thanks to a perfect 9-for-9 effort at the line, and pulled down five rebounds. Lubin finished with 13 and hit 9 of his 12 free throws.
Mississippi State played without Josh Hubbard, a three-time All-SEC pick. Tajuan Simkins paced all scorers with 20 points to go with five rebounds and five assists, and Kimani Hamilton had nine points and seven boards.
The game was a homecoming for Gainey, a Greensboro native. The result does not count in the standings, and he said the team is far from finished but gained valuable film from a big-crowd setting. He noted the Wolfpack will return to the city in December and again in March.
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