CHICAGO — DJ Burns Jr. made a pair of free throws with 97 seconds left to give NC State the lead for good as the Wolfpack defeated Vanderbilt men’s basketball 70-66 Saturday at the United Center in the last of four games in the Legends of Basketball Showcase.
Burns finished with game-high totals of 18 points and nine rebounds to help NC State (10-3) claim a contest that saw the two teams exchange the lead 11 times in addition to seven ties. Terquavion Smith scored 16 points, Casey Morsell added 15 and Jarkel Joiner supplied 12.
Myles Stute led the Commodores (5-6) with 16 points after making 6 of 10 from the floor including 4 of 8 3-point attempts. Ezra Manjon and Tyrin Lawrence each chipped in with 12 points and Liam Robbins finished with 10.
Both teams shot 41 percent from the field overall and committed fewer than 10 turnovers, but the Wolfpack were 15 of 20 from the free-throw line while outrebounding Vandy by a 38-30 margin.
The Commodores will return home to take on Alabama A&M Thursday at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium.
