Game blog: N.C. State sinks Miami 84-81 in overtime
N.C. State point guard Farnold Degand drives by Jack McClinton of Miami during the first half on January 27, 2009. The Wolfpack would build a 39-25 lead over the Hurricanes at the half.
Jan 27, 2009
9:14 p.m., Great game: Who would have thought the final possession with the game on the line is to give it to Mays, and let him dribble up to the line and shoot in a guys face? That's what he did and State wins 84-81 in overtime. He hit the shot with 2 seconds left. The hero finished the game with just six points.
9:09 p.m., Fells a big play: He comes up with a big one-on-one steal and makes both free throws after a foul. But at the other end Farnold Degand fouls out and Jack McClinton will shoot three free throws. He makes them all.
9:05 p.m., Asbury three point play: Farnold Degand tried to save a ball and after two big free throw misses he throws it to Miami right under the basket, and Asbury makes it and gets fouled. Now Miami cuts it to one with exactly a minute left after an N.C. State timeout. Pack lead it 79-78.
9:03 p.m., The answer: Adrian Thomas hits a big three for Miami to cut it to one, on the other end Courtney Fells buries his sixth of the night to make it a four point game again with a minute left. The Pack lead 79-75.
8:58 p.m., Costner fouled out: I was just about to update foul trouble but there is no need now, he is gone. Costner scored 21 points tonight and hit two big threes to keep the team from crumbling late in the second half. State leads 74-72 with 3:26 left in OT.
8:54 p.m., Overtime: Good defense by State on the final possession. You could definitely tell Miami didn't get what they wanted there with a wild James Dews shot at the buzzer from the top of the key. They kept it out of Thomas and McClinton's hands. Can the Pack take the game that was rightfully theirs after the strong first half?
8:52 p.m., Costner scores: He gets it down low and fights to get the lay-up, through a double team. Game tied at 70 with 18 ticks to go. Miami has the ball.
8:50 p.m., Adrian Thomas: He has hit some threes tonight but none bigger than that one. He has 11 points and Miami leads 70-68 with 41 seconds left. Courtney Fells re-injured his left ankle and was gimpy running down the floor to get back on defense.
8:46 p.m., McCauley at the line: We finally have the media timeout with 1:07 to go in the game. N.C. State leads 68-67 in a nail-biter. Jack McClinton just scored 7 points in about 55 seconds. That guy is good, and when he gets hot there isn't much you can do. Ben will be at the line for State with some big free throws coming.
8:42 p.m., Close game: This one is back and forth. Everyime the Pack hit a big shot, Miami is following up, with three's the last two possessions. Now with a McClinton lay-in it's tied at 65, he has 22 points. But look out, Courtney Fells hits a three pointer.
8:37 p.m., Costner three ball: Every now and again he rises and gives the team a lift, as he ties it at 56 with a three-pointer. He has 16 points. Tracy Smith follows with a short jumper to give the Pack a 58-56 lead.
8:32 p.m., Miami leads it: It's a game of runs, and Miami has more right now. They just capped a 9-0 run with another easy Collins lay-in. The Canes are up 54-53 in the second half with 7:25 to go. How do you put the fire back in this team? I don't know. If the 19 point second half lead didn't keep them fired up maybe seeing it disappear will. McCauley just gives up another awfuly easy bucket to Collins, who has 18 points on 8-11 shooting. All of them have probably been dunks and lay-ups.
8:28 p.m., This is gross: N.C. State's play is disgusting right now. All of their emotion and energy just left the building. Miami is down by one point now! The Pack lead 53-52 and they just took a quick 20 second timeout. They only have two left the rest of the game. After the timeout Brandon Costner gets locked up and throws up an air ball as the shot clock runs out. Ben McCauley didn't hustle for a loose ball and gave up a dunk at the other end, these are the types of plays they are making on this poor stretch of basketball.
8:21 p.m., Miami closing the lead: Trevor Ferguson has not seen much of the court in this one but he just banked in a three-pointer. In streetball that wouldn't even count. You have to call a bank, man! But right after he makes the three the Pack give up an easy jumper on the other end, and a McClinton three makes it a five point game. N.C. State calls a timeout leading 53-48 with under 11 minutes to play in the game. Just like that a 19 point second half lead is a five point lead.
8:16 p.m., 10 point lead: Dwayne Collins has 12 points for Miami and it seems like every point is on a one handed slam. Brandon Costner made a bone-headed play before the break as he thought he was drawing a foul on a three-pointer, and he just threw the ball off the side of the backboard and out-of-bounds. The official didn't give him the call and it worked as a turnover. N.C. State is up 48-38 with 13:55 to play.
8:08 p.m., Poor defense: It amazes me how they always let this happen at some point. A 19 point lead is just reduced to an 11 point lead as the Canes go on a 10-2 run. The Pack give up too many easy baskets after they make shots. The Pack call a timeout here to regroup as The lead is 46-35 with 17:30 to play in the game.
8:03 p.m., Second half underway: Just so you know, the Pack went 7-13 from three point land in the first half. They open up the second half with a quick Costner three and Smith dunk. This is the kind of intense second half start that they haven't had yet this year. Pack now lead 44-25.
7:48 p.m., Halftime: A quick half and a good half for the Pack. They lead it 39-25. You didn't even have to watch closely though to notice the easy buckets they gave up nearly every other time they made a big shot. The Wolfpack have to always improve on getting back on defense. They seemed to take it easy a bit after they made a shot. That's when you want your "D" to be most intense. Fells is off to his best game of the season as he dropped 14 points on a pretty good ACC team in the first half. It would be nice to see him turn in a 25 point game. What ridiculous halftime entertainment you see in the ACC. They bring out these giant Alltell cell phones that look like dance, dance, revolution machines. These fans are stepping on numbers to text a certain number. The things we do to win a prize pack that consists of a sweaty Julius Mays practice jersey.
7:40 p.m., Pack holding together: They seem to be playing more cohesively than they usually do. And of course when they hit long range shots it always seems like it a little more. Fells has nine points and Costner has 8 so far. Jack McClinton just hit a three and he has seven. You don't want him to find his stroke. Wolfpack lead 32-21 with 2 minutes left in the half. Okay, Fells just hit another three. He has four in the half.
7:33 p.m., Remembering Kay Yow: The Pack are wearing a logo of some kind on the right sleeve of their jerseys. I can't notice what it says but I'm sure it regards Yow. I'll let you know as soon as I get a closer look. The Pack are doubling the Canes with a 30-15 lead. Courtney Fells has three 3-pointers in this game so far for nine points.
7:27 p.m., Pack still hot: They continue to shoot the ball over 50 percent from the field and now hold a 22-12 lead with 7:30 to go in the first half. Dennis Horner comes off the bench and has scored 5 points in this one so far. Speaking of Horner, has anyone ever noticed his tatoo? It's his decision but I don't entirely dig it. It's a flaming basketball with a number 31 in the middle. It reminds me of Steve Rossiter's tatoo, the kid that plays for Davidson. Yes they have other players than Stephen Curry, not many though.
7:22 p.m., Lead slips a bit: The Pack yield a couple buckets before the media timeout and Miami cuts the lead to 14-10 with 10:12 to go in the half.
7:15 p.m., Pack hangin' tough: State has opened a 14-6 lead here with under 12 minutes to play in the opening half. Julius Mays has knocked down his first three point attempt of the game. I have seen this before from N.C. State where they jump out early and have a good first 10 minutes. I have also seen them hit the wall where they go ice cold and don't hit two shots the rest of the half.
7:10 p.m., Good start for Pack: Tracy Smith got two quick fouls and the big lineup trial is back on the bench. Dennis Horner is in the game for Smith, but the Pack jump out early with a 7-2 lead with 15:56 to play in the first half. Farnold Degand knocked down a three already in this one.
7:02 p.m., The big lineup: Tracy Smith will start for State, Farnold will start at point guard. Julius Mays time as starter was short, one game.
7:00 p.m., Remembering Kay Yow: Give credit to the N.C. State athletics department for putting together a nice video tribute to the late Kay Yow. I don't know if it's the same one they will play tomorrow night at Reynolds but they played it while both teams were standing by their bench, just before the anthem. The entire 2008-09 women's squad was here as well, on the court when the anthem played. It was a pretty emotional moment to start off a game.
6:32 p.m., What State's lineup will look like: We heard in the teleconference that N.C. State is going to continue playing a bigger lineup at times with Costner, McCauley, and Tracy Smith on the floor at the same time. I have been saying for a while that Smith should be a guy that averages 20 minutes a game. The guy is averaging almost 9 points per game in not even playing 14 minutes per contest. He always makes the most of his time on the floor. Sidney Lowe said that he's seeing more physical play in conference and is okay with giving up some speed to hopefully add more attack on the glass, which is something this team can always use. This is the second time I have seen this Miami team, which I believe to be an NCAA Tournament team. They beat St. Mary's last year and advanced to the second round. This team has two reliable scorers in Jack McClinton and Dwayne Collins. And you get a little extra when you bring a guy like James Dews off the bench, who started nearly every game last season. Look out for the athleticism of freshmen DeQuan Jones if he gets in the game. There isn't a more athletic player in the conference.
