Dec 18, 2012 Raleigh, NC, USA. North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Lorenzo Brown (2) dribbles past Stanford Cardinal guard Chasson Randle (5) during the second half at PNC Arena. North Carolina State won 88-79. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

The multifaceted offense of NC State (8-2) proved too much for the Stanford (7-4) defense as the Cardinal fell 88-79 to the Wolfpack. NC State was led by their senior guard Lorenzo Brown who ended the game with 24 points including 6-6 from the free throw line while junior big man Dwight Powell scored 23 points shooting 10-21 and also brought down 8 rebounds in a losing effort for Stanford.

Stanford was once again abysmal from the three-point line shooting just 7-25 (28%). At times it seemed Stanford was too complacent on the offensive side of the ball and was settling for threes and jumpers rather than attacking the basket. This led to Stanford not taking its first free throw attempts until a little over 2:00 minutes left in the 1st half and ultimately ended up shooting only 4-6 from the charity stripe. Adding to those woes was the fact that NC State’s largest lead was 17 points (2nd half). Despite their struggles, Stanford was able to fight back multiple times and keep it close enough to be within striking distance. Unfortunately, the Cardinal could not string together enough defensive stops and points to get a good enough run to get all the way back into the game nor take a single lead throughout the game.

NC State ended the game with a 4 of its 5 starters finishing in double-digits while Stanford had 3 starters (Dwight Powell with 23, Chasson Randle with 11, and Josh Huestis with 10) and 1 off the bench in junior guard Aaron Bright. Bright finished the game with 6-9 (66%) shooting including 4-7 from behind the arc but was the lone Stanford player who was efficient shooting the three. For the Wolfpack C.J. Leslie finished the game with 16 points on 6-10 (60%) shooting and 6 boards. This marks the 6th straight game Leslie has gone for 10+ points and already the 10th time out of a total of 11 games on the season. Senior forward Scott Wood ended up with 15 points, all of which came in the first half and behind the arc. He was a key factor for NC State allowing them to take a 5 point lead into halftime until Lorenzo Brown and company were able to get the scoring rolling in the second half.

Stanford’s next game is against against the Northwestern Wildcats (8-3) on Friday, December 21st at 6PM PST as they look to bounce back from a loss in their first road game of the season.