Sarah Cochran
Head coach Kevin Keatts yells at his team during the game versus UNC on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020 in PNC Arena. NC State lost to UNC 75-65.
On Monday night at PNC Arena, the NC State men’s basketball team fell 75-65 to rival North Carolina despite an electric PNC Arena crowd and four players in double figures.
In what was supposed to be the game where the Wolfpack (14-7, 5-5 ACC) finally got the proverbial monkey off its back for a home win against the Tar Heels (10-10, 3-6 ACC), it was instead one of those nights where the team seemed to be allergic to the lead, missing plenty of late-game opportunities to take control.
“I thought we lost the game with mental and physical toughness,” said NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. “I thought we gave up too many offensive rebounds and I thought we missed out on free throw block outs.”
As one would expect, NC State started out hot in front of its home crowd, scoring the game’s first seven points, and then taking a 12-6 lead from a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Jericole Hellems. Redshirt junior D.J. Funderburk had four of the first 12 points.
However, North Carolina went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 12 and the game stayed about that close into the break. UNC went up 28-23 before senior guard Markell Johnson hit a sweet crossover and jumper to get the crowd back into it. Then, after another UNC bucket, the Wolfpack went on a 6-0 run with two layups by Johnson and one nice drive from redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels.
“It’s a game of runs,” Funderburk said. “I never really ever worry about the first run a team takes. Because obviously, you can see, the game can go either way after those first couple minutes. But that was the momentum we should’ve had the entire game, and we lost it at some point, and they took over.”
The Tar Heels ended the half on a 7-2 run to take a 39-35 lead. In the first half, the Pack had no answer for forward Garrison Brooks and guard Leaky Black, who scored 17 and nine points, respectively. The rest of the North Carolina team combined for 13 first-half points and had just two bench points in the first half.
On the side of NC State, it was an all-around balanced attack. Funderburk, Hellems and Johnson all had eight points and Daniels was right behind them with six. However, the struggles for redshirt senior guard C.J. Bryce continued as he was held scoreless for the second straight game.
“I think you have to get in the gym and see the ball go in,” Keatts said about Bryce’s struggles. “I’ve coached him for three years and I don’t think he’s had a stretch of two games where he’s been, right now in the last couple games, he’s 0 for 12 … Tonight, I thought he came on very aggressive and it just didn’t go down for him.”
The second half was an uphill battle for NC State, falling behind by nine points within the first couple of minutes. The Pack had stretches of life but never seemed to get over the hump, getting back within three on two occasions before the 10-minute mark, but never closer. It was the combined heroics of Funderburk, Daniels and Johnson that kept the score in reachable distance, but UNC pulled away time and time again.
“We’re 5-5 [in the ACC] right now,” Funderburk said. “If we keep letting them slip, we’re going to be looking at the NIT again, so it’s the middle of the ACC season right now. We need to lock in, now, right now. We’re going to get back in the gym focus on those things.”
With about eight minutes left, junior guard Braxton Beverly hit a 3-pointer — the beginning of a 9-2 run to bring the game within four points. Just when the tides could’ve turned, and just in time, the Wolfpack missed a number of opportunities, and its defense fell apart, allowing UNC to go back up by 10 at the under-four-minute timeout.
Despite the return of shot-blocker extraordinaire Manny Bates, the Pack was never able to slow down Brooks, who finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, including six offensive. With Bates on a minutes restriction, Funderburk guarded Brooks the majority of the game but to no avail.
“I was just trying my best to guard him,” Funderburk said. “That was pretty much it. He still made some shots. Hat goes off to him.”
Four players ended in double-digit points: Funderburk (18), Daniels (17), Johnson (12) and Hellems (10). Down the stretch, Daniels was the go-to guy, going 8 for 17 from the floor and scoring 11 second-half points.
“We didn’t compete at the level that we needed to,” Daniels said. “They didn’t do anything special, they just played harder than us. They got the energy plays. I feel like we broke down on defense, we just didn’t bring it tonight.”
The Wolfpack will return to action Saturday, Feb. 1 at PNC Arena for a 2 p.m. matinee matchup with No. 6 Louisville. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.