Morsell scores 21, Horne adds 18 to help NC State beat Saint Louis 82-70

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Kam Woods comes away with the steal

Kam Woods comes away with the steal.

Dec 21, 2023, 04:09 am

RALEIGH, N.C. -- — Casey Morsell scored 21 points, DJ Horne added 18 and the duo combined to score 28 in the second half Wednesday night to help North Carolina State beat Saint Louis 82-70.

Morsell made 8 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range and Horne, who also made 4 of 6 3-point shots, was 7-of-13 shooting. D.J. Burns Jr. scored 13 points for N.C. State (8-3).

Horne hit three 3s and Burns scored inside three times in a 15-3 run that gave N.C. State an eight-point lead with nine minutes to play. Gibson Jimerson answered with a layup before the Wolfpack scored 14 of the next 16 to make it 75-57 with 4:40 left.

Bradley Ezewiro scored 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds for Saint Louis (7-6). Tim Dalger had 17 points. Jimerson, who went into the game averaging 16.8 points, made 1 of 8 from the field, missed all five of his 3-point shots and finished with seven points.

The Wolfpack, who entered averaging 9.8 turnovers per game to rank No. 23 nationally, committed a season-low five.

Dennis Parker Jr. hit a jumper to cap an 8-1 run that gave N.C. State its first lead at 14-13 but it lasted just 17 seconds until Ezewiro made 1 of 2 free throws to tie it. He then hit two free throws, threw down a dunk and scored in the lane to make it 20-18 with 9:32 to play before halftime. The Billikens led until Morsell and Horne hit back-to-back 3s to give N.C. State a 41-38 lead about two minutes into the second half.

Ezewiro, who transferred from Georgetown after beginning his college career at LSU, made his debut for Saint Louis last week after a court ruling paved the way for him and other multiple-time transfers to play for the remainder of the season without receiving a waiver from the NCAA. The 6-foot-9 junior scored 17 points in the Billikens’ 75-74 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

Saint Louis is off until the Jan. 3, when the Billikens open Atlantic 10 play at home against Loyola Chicago. N.C. State wraps up its nonconference slate when it plays host to Detroit Mercy on Saturday.

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