Casey Morsell excels in First Round Victory against Louisville

WASHINGTON – The North Carolina State Wolfpack advanced to the second round of the ACC Tournament with a 94-85 victory over the Louisville Cardinals in the Capital One Arena. 

Louisville had a great start and was having it their way until NC State got something going and picked up the slack midway through the first half. 

DJ Burns Jr came out for the Pack but committed the first two fouls for the team in seconds. With Burns limited, Michael O’Connell stepped up for NC State. 

The Pack stepped up on both sides of the ball to limit the Cardinals and tied the game with a 14-4 run with five minutes remaining in the first half. 

After being quiet in the first half, Burns attacked the paint and scored six of the first nine points for NC State in the second half before being substituted by Ben Middlebrooks. 

The pace was steady throughout the second half. Despite holding the lead, The Pack continued to commit fouls and allowed multiple free-throw attempts for Louisville. 

The Pack went on a 6-0 run with one minute remaining to secure the 94-85 victory. 

NC State struggled defensively and could not stop the cards in the beginning. 

Both teams struggled with fouls and making three-pointers throughout the game. NC State committed 12 fouls while Louisville had 23. 

Casey Morsell led the Pack with 25 points. Skyy Clark had an explosive start and led the Cardinals with 36 points. 

Up next, the North Carolina State Wolfpack will face the Syracuse Orange Mar 13 at 7 P.M.