No. 21 N.C. State spanks William & Mary

Freshman J.J. Hickson scored 31 points on 12-for-12 shooting to lead No. 21 North Carolina State past William & Mary, 66-47 on Thursday night.

Brandon Costner added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolfpack (1-0), who won their 14th straight season opener and their second in two tries under coach Sidney Lowe.

Laimis Kisielius scored 12 points for the Tribe (0-2), who have lost both games this season on the road against ranked opponents. William & Mary lost to fifth-ranked Georgetown 68-53 on Saturday.

N.C. State led almost the entire way to get off to a successful start in a year filled with high expectations. The Wolfpack return four starters from last year's 20-16 team that beat highly ranked rivals Duke and North Carolina while also making a run to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final.

Now Hickson is in the mix, giving the Wolfpack another weapon on an already stacked front line. The former McDonald's All-American finished with the second-best scoring day for a freshman in school history, while his 31 points marked the best outing for an N.C. State freshman in a season opener.

Hickson proved to an impossible matchup for the Tribe, repeatedly finishing baskets in the paint while often using his 6-foot-9, 242-pound frame to bounce off a defender along the way.

He managed 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the first half and finished with seven rebounds, showing an unrelenting style that had the RBC Center crowd chanting his name and giving him a standing ovation when he left with 56.5 seconds left.

N.C. State also played tough defense, forcing William & Mary into 16 straight missed shots spanning halftime to take a 39-26 lead at the break.

The Tribe managed to get as close as five with about 8 1/2 minutes left, but Costner answered with a 3-pointer from the left corner to start a 17-3 run to close the game.

Hickson also came up big during the spurt, throwing down a transition dunk, hitting a spinning layup and completing a three-point play as the Wolfpack pulled away. Hickson closed out his effort by scoring on a stickback and finding Courtney Fells inside for a layup before departing with the Wolfpack leading by 19.

William & Mary shot 29 percent for the game.