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Wolfpack Recovers With Win Over Boise State in Maui Invitational

No. 23 NC State bounced back from its loss to Seton Hall, beating the Broncos to earn a spot in the fifth-place game.
Tucker Sennett|
Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade during the first half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade during the first half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

No. 23 NC State recovered from the opening round loss to Seton Hall and defeated Boise State 81-70 in the consolation bracket of the Southwest Maui Invitational. After playing a disjointed game against the Pirates, the 24-hour break between games was enough for Will Wade’s team to find composure. 

The win propelled the Wolfpack to 5-1 on the season and gave it a victory over a team that will likely be in the mix in the Mountain West for most of the season. 

Hot and cold 

NC State opened the game with an 11-2 run and looked like a completely different team than the one that showed up 24 hours prior. However, the Pack’s offensive inconsistency, coupled with more defensive lapses, allowed the Broncos to battle their way back into the game and ultimately take a 22-20 lead.

Wade’s offense went scoreless over a six-minute stretch, as both Quadir Copeland and Paul McNeil picked up early fouls. One stretch saw the duo in foul trouble and Darrion Williams on the bench and the Broncos made their move, going on a 12-0 run. Matt Able finally snapped the skid with a corner jumper just in front of the 3-point line. 

While Williams came out of the gate far more aggressively, the Broncos utilized a similar strategy against the Wolfpack star to the one Seton Hall shut him down with in the opening round. Boise State doubled Williams when he tried to back its defenders down. 

While Wade insisted offense wasn’t the problem after the Seton Hall loss, the steady inconsistency on that end of the floor continued to be a concerning trend for the Wolfpack. The group stabilized things at the end of the first half, putting together a 12-2 to end the first half, leading the Broncos by six. 

Arceneaux in the mix 

After missing two games, Houston transfer guard Terrance Arceneaux made his return to the Wolfpack rotation in the loss to Seton Hall, but struggled to regain his rhythm in that game. However, the junior found his stride against the Broncos and scored six points in the first half. 

The guard’s impact on the defensive end was large, as he came up with three steals in the first half and finished the game with three takeaways. Coming from Kelvin Sampson’s high-octane defense, Arceneaux knows what it takes to play that end of the floor at a very high level. 

Arceneaux scored a season-high 11 points in 23 minutes, his most of the 2025-26 season so far. 

Dictating the game

Darrion Williams
Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State player Darrion Williams answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

In the first three wins of the season, NC State controlled the game's style with relative ease, though those matchups were against vastly inferior competition. Both Seton Hall and Boise State felt they could dictate the pace and tempo of the games. 

The Wolfpack rarely felt like the aggressor in either game, despite being the better team for much of the matchup against the Broncos. The start of the second half perfectly encapsulated that feeling, as Boise State came out of the locker room and quickly tied the game after being down six points. The Broncos ripped off an 11-2 run to take a 3-point lead, drilling a trio of threes. 

However, the Wolfpack figured out how to disrupt Boise State’s flow in the half-court offense and took advantage. NC State jumped passing lanes and doubled with more strength in the second half. Those changes forced the Broncos into more live-ball turnovers and helped the Pack score 24 points off of those giveaways.

NC State finished the game with 13 steals, a massive turnaround defensively from the loss to Seton Hall. The difference between Boise and Seton Hall from an athletic standpoint certainly aided that turnaround. No one took greater advantage defensively than freshman guard Matt Able, who finished with a whopping five steals and played a very strong game for the second-straight game. Able scored nine points as well. 

Final Word

NC State finished the game with a strong push. Wade’s team massively improved the defensive effort, although Boise extended the game with some late 3-point success, particularly from UCLA transfer Dylan Andrews. When the Wolfpack could get out and run, it was a different game. 

Williams led the way with 16 points before he fouled, but the Wolfpack did things by committee. The team finished with 28 bench points, as Able and Arceneaux provided nice sparks as substitutes. NC State will await the result of Chaminade and Texas, with the Longhorns likely to be the final opponent in Wednesday’s fifth-place game. 

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.

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