WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

State survives against Virginia, 72-67

By Emily Seck

Feb 21, 2009

Despite beating Virginia 72-67, N.C. State (15-10, 5-7 ACC) put together one of its ugliest games of the season. The Wolfpack gave up leads of 18 and 17 points in the first and second halves, respectively, and two of its top scorers failed to tally any points.

Like so many other State games this season, this one came down to the wire. Dennis Horner missed two key free throws with 16 seconds left in the contest with State up 68-65 before Courtney Fells committed a costly foul at the other end.

The Cavaliers (9-14, 3-9 ACC) capitalized by making both free throw attempts to pull within one point.

Fells, who had only scored five points the entire game, made his two shots count after he was fouled to push the score to 70-67. Fells went on to make two more free throws to secure the 72-67 victory.

“It was good for us to be in a situation like that but it’s not good if we don’t have to be,” Fells said.

Though State has accumulated five ACC wins this season, it has only beat one opponent by more than six points – a 21-point win against last place Georgia Tech.

“I prefer a blowout,” said sophomore Tracy Smith, who led all starters with 13 points. “I just wish we would have kept that lead and made it an easy win. I don’t think we lose our composure; we just start turning the ball over. Little things like that and offensive rebounds build up and they were able to get back in the game.”

The Pack jumped out to a 21-4 lead thanks to Virginia’s poor shooting in the first half.

Despite Virginia beginning the game just 1-12 from the field, State only led by four points at the break. The Cavaliers failed to score on its first nine possessions of the game, going nearly six minutes without a score.

But Virginia coach Dave Leitao's squad out-rebounded the Pack and committed fewer turnovers en route to overcoming a deficit that was once as big as 18 points. Javier Gonzalez, who started the game at point guard for State, committed five of the Pack’s turnovers in just six minutes of play in the first half.

“The first half could have gone either way,” Leitao said. “We were either going to get blown out and stay out of it, but once we started to climb back in I felt comfortable.”

Virginia went 10-for-15 from the floor after its shooting drought in the opening minutes of the game. Despite playing just nine minutes, freshman C.J. Williams led all scorers with eight points.

In the second half State came out firing on all cylinders and accumulated a lead of 50-33.

“What worried me is I didn’t see a mindset change by either team,” Leitao said. “There were some changes we needed to make to forge ahead in the second half. We weren’t assertive as we needed to be and that really cost us.”

But Virginia was able to make its second comeback of the game, coming within one point – its closest margin of the contest-- in the final seconds.

Brandon Costner, the Pack’s leading scorer this season at 14.9 points-per-game, did not make a basket despite playing 27 minutes.

State’s bench contributed 31 points as freshman C.J. Williams scored a career-high 16 points and Dennis Horner chipped in 12.

“Those two guys have been so important to us coming off the bench,” Lowe said. “Those guys are the future. It’s good to see them playing well and gaining that confidence, next year they should feel good about themselves.”