Khamil Pierre Posts 21 and 11 as No. 25 NC State Forces 24 Turnovers in 80-45 Rout of Campbell

RALEIGH, N.C. Campbell got the first word on Wednesday night, nudging in front by a point early at Reynolds Coliseum. NC State spent the next 35 minutes making sure that was the only lead the Fighting Camels would hold all evening.

Khamil Pierre posted 21 points and 11 rebounds, Zoe Brooks added 16, and the No. 25 Wolfpack turned 20 steals into a fast-break avalanche in an 80-45 win over Campbell on Nov. 4. NC State moved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2023-24 season, in front of 4,912 fans. The victory was the 1,100th in program history, and the school says that makes NC State the 20th Division I program to reach the mark. Campbell fell to 0-2.

Here is the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and NC State's official recap (opens in a new tab).

A tight first quarter, then a squeeze

For about 10 minutes this looked like a game. Campbell traded baskets with the Wolfpack through the opening period, and the Fighting Camels trailed only 21-16 after one quarter. Campbell even owned a brief one-point lead in the early going, one of two lead changes in the game.

Then NC State tightened the screws. The Wolfpack won the second quarter 22-7, and Pierre was the engine, scoring eight points in the period. Pierre's basket late in the half kicked off an 8-0 closing run that sent NC State to the locker room up 43-23. According to the Associated Press, Pierre also had three of NC State's 10 first-half steals, and the Wolfpack scored 12 points off 12 Campbell turnovers before the break.

That was the story of the night in miniature. Every time Campbell tried to initiate offense on the perimeter, a Wolfpack defender was sitting in the passing lane. The Fighting Camels committed 24 turnovers in all, and NC State converted them into 24 points. Campbell managed eight points off the Wolfpack's nine giveaways.

The third quarter put it away

Whatever Campbell talked about at halftime did not survive the first two minutes of the third. NC State opened the half on an 11-0 run to make it 54-23, and the quarter ended up a 25-6 rout. By the time the horn sounded on the period, the Wolfpack led 68-29.

Annsley Trivette scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to stretch the margin to 70-29, the largest lead of the night at 41 points. From there both benches got long looks. Campbell actually won the final period 16-12, which says more about NC State's lineup in the closing minutes than anything else, and it at least let the Fighting Camels leave with a better taste.

The transition numbers tell you how the middle 20 minutes went. NC State scored 31 fast-break points. Campbell scored two. The Wolfpack also owned the paint 58-26, and you do not get a gap like that unless the defense is creating layups on the other end.

Pierre does it again

Pierre's line was the most complete on the floor. The forward made 9 of 15 shots, went 3 for 3 at the line, grabbed three offensive rebounds among the 11, and added three steals and two blocks in 27 minutes. It was a second straight double-double to open the season, after Pierre also reached double figures in points and rebounds against Wofford on Monday.

The efficiency is the point. Pierre took 15 shots, made nine, and turned three offensive rebounds into extra chances. That is exactly what a team with a pressure defense needs from its frontcourt anchor: someone who finishes the possessions the defense creates and cleans up the misses when the shots do not fall.

Brooks was the other half of the one-two punch. The guard went 7 of 12 from the field, hit 2 of 3 from deep and handed out five assists with four steals in only 25 minutes. Both Brooks and Pierre were named to the preseason All-ACC team for a second straight season, and through two games they look like a duo that can carry an offense when the 3-point shot is not falling. NC State made only 4 of 14 from beyond the arc on Wednesday and still scored 80.

The rotation and the newcomers

Twelve Wolfpack players saw the floor, and the minutes were spread in a way that suggests a staff still sorting out roles. Desiree Wooten logged a team-high 32 minutes and was the steadiest hand on the floor, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and zero turnovers. Ky'She Lunan played 30 minutes and only scored five points, but Lunan filled the rest of the box with five assists and five steals.

Trivette was the spark off the bench. Trivette scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting in 13 minutes, including a 3, and grabbed three rebounds. The four turnovers are a reminder that it is early, but the energy was obvious.

Qadence Samuels gave NC State another efficient frontcourt option, scoring eight points on 4 of 5 shooting with five rebounds in 19 minutes. Khady Leye started and chipped in six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes. Adelaide Jernigan hit a 3 and added two steals, Maddie Cox made both free throws in 10 minutes of work, and Kamora Pruitt, Favour Ossai and Audrey Ericksen all got into the game.

The ball moved, too. NC State assisted on 19 of its 33 baskets, shot 49 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 39-32, with 16 offensive boards. The Wolfpack also committed just six fouls all night, which is remarkable for a team that spends so much time in passing lanes. Campbell attempted only six free throws.

If there is a quibble, it is at the stripe. NC State made only 10 of 20 free throws. That will not matter against Campbell. It will matter in a close game in February. Head coach Wes Moore had a different item at the top of the to-do list afterward, saying the post defense still needs work, according to the school's recap.

Campbell's tough start under Ali Jaques

Predojevic led Campbell with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on 4 of 8 shooting, though Predojevic also turned it over five times. Peris Smith gave the Fighting Camels a lift off the bench with eight points on 4 of 6 shooting in 15 minutes, Genesis Schneeberg matched that with eight on 4 of 6, and Jasmine Felton and Kiaya Davis each scored seven.

The problem was everything around the shooting. Campbell made 19 of 51 shots, 37 percent, and Jessica Woods, who played a team-high 33 minutes, went 1 for 8 with five turnovers. The Fighting Camels finished with 10 assists against those 24 giveaways.

This is a program in transition. Campbell is in its first season under coach Ali Jaques, and the Fighting Camels dropped their home opener 62-47 to Austin Peay before the trip to Raleigh, per the AP. A road game against a ranked ACC team in week one was always going to be a measuring stick more than a realistic upset chance. Campbell travels to Davidson on Sunday.

There was a bit of history in the building as well. This was the first meeting between the two programs since Feb. 18, 1978.

What it means for NC State

The Wolfpack opened the season at No. 25 in the AP preseason poll, the eighth time in the last nine seasons the program has started a year ranked. Two comfortable home wins, 80-50 over Wofford and now 80-45 over Campbell, are exactly what that ranking demands, but neither tells you much about where NC State stands nationally.

The next game will. NC State faces No. 14 Kentucky in the Ally Tipoff on Sunday, Nov. 8, the first ranked opponent of the season and a direct test of whether this defense can bother a team with SEC-level guards. The formula from Wednesday, with a deep rotation, constant ball pressure and two All-ACC caliber scorers finishing what the defense creates, travels. The free throw shooting and the 3-point volume are the questions.

For one night, though, it was a clean, convincing performance. The Wolfpack defended for 40 minutes, gave 12 players real minutes and let Pierre and Brooks do the heavy lifting. Follow every Wolfpack story on our NC State team page.

Sources: ESPN box score, NC State Athletics and the Associated Press via the Daily Independent.

Photo: NC State Athletics.