George Washington University
#19 North Carolina State
Wolfpack Stops George Washington, 79-58
12/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - An incredibly stingy defense. A nearly perfect balance of scoring from the paint and the perimeter.
Cameron Bennerman led five players in double figures with 17 points, Cedric Simmons got his second career double-double and the Wolfpack easily gave No. 12 George Washington its first loss of the season, 79-58 on Friday night.
Simmons had 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks and point guard Engin Atsur tied a career high with nine assists for N.C. State (11-1), which gave coach Herb Sendek the best start of his nine-year tenure. The best field goal percentage defense in Division I held the Colonials (8-1) to 31 percent, by far their worst effort of the season.
Carl Elliott had 14 points for George Washington, and leading scorer Danilo Pinnock finished with 11, about five points below his average. Transfer Regis Koundjia, finally eligible after arriving from LSU, had nine points before fouling out in his debut.
Perhaps a 12-day layoff might explain part of the Colonials' problems, but the Wolfpack did their part, too. NCSU held George Washington without a field goal for an 8 1/2-minute stretch of the first half to take control, even while their offense was struggling. Atsur's 3 gave N.C. State a 23-12 lead midway through the opening 20 minutes, then had his team's next points on a layup about 5 1/2 minutes later.
Elliott made a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to seven, and it was still there until Andrew Brackman swished a jumper from beyond the arc after a nice pass from Atsur. Ilian Evtimov finished up the scoring before the break with two free throws, putting the Wolfpack ahead 34-22.
