WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

Horner’s clutch play leads Pack to first ACC win over Tech 76-71

By Daniel Ellis

Jan 17, 2009

Dennis Horner came through for the Wolfpack down the stretch with a layup and foul call in the final two minutes of overtime to give N.C. State (10-5, 1-2 ACC) their first ACC win.

“It’s such a great feeling to get that monkey off our back,” McCauley said. “Everybody came in here with a lot of character and buckled down to make some big plays. It was such a great team effort.”

With 1:29 remaining in overtime, Dennis Horner received the dish from senior Ben McCauley on a cut to the basket. Horner sealed Georgia Tech’s (9-8, 1-3 ACC) demise with the final free throw, bringing the score to 76-71.

“Ben’s a great post passer and he saw me cutting,” Horner said. “It was a great bounce pass. All I had to do was finish it for him.”

Horner’s clutch play came after redshirt junior Brandon Costner, who led all scorers with 22 points, fouled out on an offensive charge call in overtime.

“You have to tip your hat to him,” coach Sidney Lowe said. “I expect him to be able to do that. He made sure he was ready to play and did what he’s supposed to.”

A pair of Wolfpack steals in the final minute was all that was needed for the red and white to cap off a 22-7 comeback that began with 4:40 left in regulation.

“We just came together as a team, stayed poised, hit some big shots and got some big stops,” Horner said.

The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over a total of 22 times in the contest.

“We changed our defense a couple of times and we got [Georgia Tech] out of rhythm,” Lowe said. “It helped us get the momentum and it worked in our favor.”

Early in the first half, redshirt junior Brandon Costner got things started for the Wolfpack with an early 3-pointer and would continue to pace the Pack, rounding out the half with 10 points.

With the Pack down 10-7, Courtney Fells put home a highlight dunk after breaking through the Yellow Jackets full-court press.

“Our guys came in ready to play, and they made the big plays,” Lowe said. “It was good to see us come out and be aggressive.”

Georgia Tech struggled with turnovers in the early part of the game, giving the ball away on travel calls, misplaced shots, and errant passes.

“We kept executing on the offensive, and most importantly, the defensive side of the ball,” redshirt junior Trevor Ferguson said. “We were able to force them into some tough shots and that helped a lot.”

State wasn’t without difficulties of their own, though. In the first half alone, the Yellow Jackets posted 13 offensive rebounds.

Georgia Tech’s second chance opportunities allowed them to garner a six point lead with 2:21 left in the half.

After drawing a charge at the 5:41 mark in the first half, Brandon Costner knocked down both of his free throws and went on to steal Tech’s inbounds pass on the very next play.

The Yellow Jackets, however, quieted the roaring RBC Center when Iman Shumpert flushed in a dunk on a fast-break opportunity.

Redshirt junior Trevor Ferguson almost brought the Pack ahead going into halftime in what appeared to be a back-and-forth game.

Ferguson came in for the Pack with a few minutes left in the half and was perfect on back-to-back shots from 3-point land.

“I didn’t know if [Trevor Ferguson] would be ready to play and handle the ball well because of his hand,” Lowe said. “I didn’t know he’d be able to make all those shots for us.”

His shots, accompanied with his pair of free throws, allowed the Pack to pull within one going into the locker room.

“We’re confident with anyone that we bring in off our bench,” McCauley said. “It’s such a great feeling to know that those guys are ready to play.”

The second half started with Costner knocking down a pair of 3-pointers following a Gani Lawal layup.

Mistakes devastated both teams throughout the game, with State and Georgia Tech combining for 44 turnovers.

In addition, McCauley saw extended time at the charity stripe, going 6-for-8 on free throws after a barrage of fouls from the Yellow Jackets.

Midway through the second half, both teams looked identical offensively, trading 3-pointers on each possession.

Following the storm of 3’s, Courtney Fells found McCauley inside for an easy dunk. The slam capped off a brief 5-0 Wolfpack run.

With less than two minutes remaining, McCauley posted an under the basket layup to bring the Pack within one.

“I think we learned a lot from those two games we lost,” McCauley said. “Even if we’re down, we’re never out.”

With 31.2 seconds remaining, Degand broke through for an open layup, drawing the foul on the made basket.

At the line, Degand calmly sunk the basket to tie the game 67-67.

In the waning seconds of regulation, the Yellow Jackets’ Lewis Clinch missed the game-winning shot in the final two seconds. Ben McCauley grabbed the board and heaved a desperation attempt that veered left of the goal.

Following a brief spurt by Georgia Tech to start the extra period, the Wolfpack regained control and went on to secure the win.