No.20 Hoyas take on Wolfpack for Charleston Classic title

Nov 21, 2010 - 3:51 PM Charleston, SC (Sports Network) - A battle of unbeatens will take place this evening, as the 20th-Georgetown Hoyas clash with the NC State Wolfpack in the title game of the Charleston Classic from the Carolina First Arena.

The strong start to the season for Georgetown continued this past Friday, as the Hoyas soundly defeated Wofford, 74-59. It was the fourth straight win to open the year for Georgetown, which also clobbered Coastal Carolina, 80-61, in the first round of this tournament.

NC State, which is also unblemished at 3-0, slipped past George Mason, 78-65 on Friday. That victory came a day after the Wolfpack pounded East Carolina, 85-65. After this contest the Wolfpack will head home to face Fairleigh Dickinson.

The Wolfpack hold a solid 4-1 edge over Georgetown in the all-time series, but the lone win for the Hoyas came in the last meeting back in 1989, as they defeated NC State, 69-61, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Hoyas put forth another terrific offensive showing in their win over Wofford, as coach John Thompson III's team cruised to a 15-point victory. Georgetown shot 57.1 percent from the field in the victory and also connected on a solid, 21-of-27 shots from the foul line. Chris Wright scored a team-high 18 points and dished out five assists in the win, giving him a team-best 26 helpers on the year. Austin Freeman, who is leading the team with 18.5 ppg, added 14 points for Georgetown, while Julian Vaughn posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jason Clark, who is contributing 16.3 ppg on the year, was quiet for the first time this season, as the guard posted just eight points.

Pitted against their toughest opponent to date, the Wolfpack passed with flying colors, as they scored 78 points in a victory over the defensive-minded George Mason Patriots. NC State shot an impressive 55.4 percent from the field, and that included an equally strong 8-of-19 showing from behind the arc. Ryan Harrow, who has not started in any of the three games for NC State, led five players in double figures with 14 points and is now averaging a team- best 13.7 ppg. Richard Howell added a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Scott Wood, who is producing 12.3 ppg on the year, also chipped in 13 points. CJ Leslie helped out with 11 points and eight boards, while Javier Gonzalez tallied 10 points, to go along with five assists. Leslie has been a big contributor in the paint for coach Sidney Lowe, as the freshman is currently posting 12.0 ppg, to go along with 5.3 rpg.