After leading by as many as 15 in the first half, the NC State men’s basketball team found itself down one with 30 seconds to play. Despite being in just his seventh college game, freshman guard Shakeel Moore stepped up big in the dying moments, giving NC State a narrow 79-76 win over Boston College on Wednesday evening.
Just eight days removed from his 17-point performance against UNC-Chapel Hill, Moore nailed a jumper from just beyond the free-throw line to give the lead back to the Wolfpack (6-1, 2-0 ACC) with just 26 seconds to play and sealed the deal with a dunk in the dying seconds, denying the Eagles (2-6, 0-2 ACC) a come-from-behind win.
“I put in work everyday,” Moore said. “I am in the gym every day after practice hours. I think it’s important to not only get better with your team but work on yourself. The confidence comes from me taking the time to work when nobody is paying attention, work when nobody is looking.”
Between Moore’s two baskets, redshirt senior guard Devon Daniels made a massive defensive play, deflecting a pass before diving on it and forcing a jump ball. The possession arrow gave the Pack the ball back, leading to Moore’s final dunk.
The Wolfpack’s big first-half lead was built on the back on an electric first-half return performance from redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk, who torched Boston College for 17 first-half points in his first action in 27 days. Funderburk found his way into foul trouble in the second half and ended the game with 21 points, one shy of his career high.
“He had two outstanding practices,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “D.J. is a much better player when he plays inside out. I gave him one of those ‘Kevin Keatts stares’ when he took that 3 in the corner… but I thought he was tremendous. It’s taken him a little bit of time; he has been out a little longer than everyone else, but he worked himself to get back in shape to have this type of game and we needed him. We needed him with Manny out.”
While Funderburk’s return will be a boon for the Wolfpack, it could have lost its other star big, redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates, who limped off the court in the first half before alternating between the locker room area and pacing behind the bench for the remainder of the half. The team confirmed he would not be returning to the game early in the second half.
After the game, Keatts said it was a coach’s decision not to play him, but he was not overly concerned. He added that they were going to be getting an MRI on Bates’ knee.
Funderburk got into foul trouble in the second half, picking up his fourth foul with just under 11 to play. With the big man on the bench in foul trouble, the Pack had to turn elsewhere for scoring, and junior forward Jericole Hellems was the man who stepped up.
Hellems scored 12 in the second half, with the bulk of his work coming from the line, scoring seven of his nine attempts from the charity stripe. In total, Hellems scored 20, a near complete 180 from his defensively strong but offensively poor showing against UNC.
“Throughout the game it was a bunch of highs and lows,” Keatts said. “We got the big lead, didn’t play well in the second half coming out of halftime. We eventually lost the lead by one but found a way to win. I told these guys, ‘If you’re going to win a championship’, and I’ve been a part of a lot of them, ‘you’re going to have to win every type of game’… Proud of my guys.”
NC State will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. to face Clemson on the road in its first game of the new year, a team that had all of Tobacco Road’s numbers last season.
“I think we are right where we need to be,” Funderburk said. “I know I always say that, but I honestly think we are right where we need to be. We are 2-0 in the conference. Couldn’t ask for anything more. We are blessed with the games we have been able to play. We are just going to keep focusing on one game at a time and worry about what we need to do for that game.”
N.C. State's Jericole Hellems (4) slams in two during the first half of N.C. State’s game against Boston College at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, December 30, 2020.
