Junior Brandon Costner had his best game since the 2007 ACC Tournament finals, leading NC State to an 87-76 victory over East Carolina Wednesday night at the RBC Center and avenging last year’s loss to the Pirates in Greenville.
Costner had 24 points and 17 rebounds in the contest, topping his totals in both categories for any game last season. It was his most points since scoring 28 against North Carolina in Tampa, Fla., two seasons ago and his most rebounds since grabbing a career-high 19 against UNC-Wilmington on Dec. 30, 2006.
The Wolfpack (6-1), playing without injured starter Courtney Fells, took control of the game in the second half by scoring on eight of its first 10 possessions, while East Carolina scored on only one of its first eight possessions. The Wolfpack built as much as a 16-point lead before a late surge by the Pirates closed the gap to four points with 3:15 remaining on the clock.
Senior Ben McCauley had 20 points for the Pack, while sophomore Tracy Smith added 11. East Carolina (8-2) was led by Raleigh-native Brock Young’s 25 points.
*****Hopefully Doug Cockman will more on this one later for us.*****
Above text from theacc.com.