The Citadel Bulldogs vs NC State Wolfpack Match Player Stats On Dec 22, 2019

Devon Daniels scored 18 points as North Carolina State cranked out an 83-63 victory against visiting The Citadel on Sunday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

It was a largely smooth outing as the Wolfpack bounced back from Thursday night's loss at undefeated Auburn.

N.C. State (9-3), which was playing a home game for the first time since Dec. 4, played in a game that finished with a double-digit margin of victory for just the second time in its last six games. The Wolfpack have won both those games.

DJ Funderburk scored 14 points, Jericole Hellems and C.J. Bryce each tallied 13, and Markell Johnson scored 11 for N.C. State, which will play its final nonleague game next Sunday against Appalachian State.

Daniels, who was in the starting lineup for the fourth time this season, scored 11 of N.C. State's first 15 second-half points.

Kaiden Rice's game-high 19 points led The Citadel (6-6), which won its previous three games (though only one against a Division I opponent).

Kaelon Harris pumped in 13 points and Alex Reed, who's from Raleigh, added 10 for the Bulldogs, who played in their final game of 2019.

The Citadel closed within 72-60 with less than five minutes to play but N.C. State scored the next eight points.

The Citadel had scored at least 100 points in each game of its three-game win streak, including the 102-99 victory Thursday at Longwood that involved three overtimes. Its 87 points per game entering the weekend rated third nationally.

The Bulldogs trailed 9-2 after four minutes. The gap grew to 27-10 as The Citadel didn't have many answers in the lane at either end of the court.

N.C. State led 40-22 at halftime. The Citadel shot 28.1 percent in the first half and didn't attempt a free throw.

N.C. State starting guard Braxton Beverly left with an apparent injury after logging less than seven first-half minutes. Beverly, who didn't score, is one of two players to start in every game this season.

It was the first meeting between the teams in 14 years, and N.C. State owns a 17-1 edge in the series.

--Field Level Media