T.J. Warren dropped in 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds as No. 6 North Carolina State easily handled Penn State, 72-55, in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Thursday.
C.J. Leslie contributed 14 points and Rodney Purvis donated 12 points in the victory for NC State (2-0), which will face Massachusetts in the second round on Friday.
Tim Frazier scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed five boards, while D.J. Newbill added 13 points for the Nittany Lions (1-1). Jermaine Marshall donated 11 points and eight boards in the setback.
Penn State kept it close early, as a layup by Newbill tied things at eight less than five minutes into the game.
NC State responded with seven quick points to make it a 15-8 game with 13:14 to go in the opening 20 minutes and, a few minutes later, a jumper by Warren made it a 10-point Wolfpack advantage.
Marshall drained a 3-pointer with 4 1/2 minutes left, cutting the deficit to 28-22, but the Wolfpack took a 35-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.
NC State essentially put the game away early in the second half by opening the frame with a 12-4 spurt, which allowed the Wolfpack to extend their lead to a comfortable 47-30 margin less than four minutes into the half.
A layup by Frazier put an end to the run, but the Wolfpack continued to find easy baskets, using a 16-6 push to make it a 63-38 game with 9:15 remaining.
NC State led by double digits the rest of the way.
Game Notes
