RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tracy Smith had 16 points in his return from knee surgery to help North Carolina State beat San Diego 76-54 on Saturday.
Lorenzo Brown added 14 points for the Wolfpack (9-4), who closed a six-game homestand with an easy victory. N.C. State scored the first eight points, led by 22 in the first half and pushed that to as many as 29 points after halftime.
N.C. State won five games during the homestand, but Smith’s return was probably the biggest success of that stretch. The preseason all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick had missed 10 straight games while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, robbing Sidney Lowe’s team of a reliable post scorer who operates at the center of the Wolfpack’s offense.
Smith didn’t start, but he looked close to full speed against the Toreros (3-11) and eager to make up for lost time.
Devin Ginty led San Diego with 10 points.
