Brandon Costner finally had a break out game and led the NC State Wolfpack to an 85-77 victory over Cincinnati. Costner finished the game with 20 points and 6 rebounds while going 4-6 from beyond the arc. State was in control for most of the game, only trailing for 28 seconds in the early minutes of the opening half. As usual this season the Wolfpack did not dominate the whole game and allowed the Bearcats to 3 with a little under 5 minutes remaining in the game. However, State was able to fend of the Cincinnati comeback by going down low to Hickson and Grant down the stretch. Grant added 15 points while Hickson and Fells each totaled 14 points in State's win. State shot 51.2% for the game and out rebounded the Bearcats 27-26.
This victory did not come without a cost. Farnold Degand, NC State's starting point guard this season tore his ACL and will require surgery. Farnold started every game for the Wolfpack this year and started to put in some strong performances as of late. This injury probably means we might finally get to see Tennessee transfer Marques Johnson.
My Take- As if we didn't have enough problems at the point guard position already! I hope Farnold is able to come back 100% next year. Having already red shirted last season it must be unbearable having to sit out the majority of this season as well. Hopefully all will go well with his surgery and he won't have any problems in the future and will be able to finish out his career at NC State on a high note. Overall I was glad Costner finally broke out of his shell and dominated a game. It will be nice to have him back to his regular form. Now comes the big question, is Javier ready to lead this team, will Johnson have a significant impact, or will State's point guard problems be their downfall this season?
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