The NC State men’s basketball team led by seven at halftime and had the lead as big as nine, but Georgia Tech came back and won 78-75 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Pack (20-10, 10-7 ACC) trailed by six with less than thirty seconds to go, but freshman guard Braxton Beverly drilled a three to get the Pack within three. After a Jackets (12-18, 5-12 ACC) turnover, Beverly had two good looks that could have forced overtime but he missed them both and Georgia Tech held on.
NC State led by eight with 16 minutes to go but the Jackets kept creeping back in the game and took their first lead with 10 minutes to go. They took the lead for good with 1:48 to go.
The Wolfpack got off to a quick 7-0 to start the game and kept the Yellow Jackets from getting back in the game in the first half. However, foul trouble prevented the Pack from extending the lead. In all, NC State was called for 19 total, including two technicals. Georgia Tech was called for 10 fouls and the Pack didn’t reach the bonus in either half.
Sophomore center Omer Yurtseven played 35 minutes and scored 17 points and had nine rebounds. Redshirt junior guard Torin Dorn scored 18 points and had seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
Graduate guard Allerik Freeman led the team with 19 points and shot 3-4 from behind the 3-point line. Both teams shot 50 percent from behind the arc.
NC State won the rebounding battle 35-34 and had fewer turnovers, 11, compared to 14 for Georgia Tech.
Center Ben Lammers scored 20 points for the Jackets while guard Tadric Jackson scored a career-high 22.
The Pack had a chance to clinch a double-bye in the ACC tournament next week in Brooklyn, New York with wins in each of its last two games, but will now need to defeat Louisville on Saturday and get help. The most likely scenario for NC State to get a bye is for Virginia Tech to beat Miami, Syracuse beat Clemson and Duke to beat UNC-Chapel Hill, along with a Pack win over the Cardinals. If that does not all happen, NC State will likely be a five or six seed for the tournament. If the Pack loses to Louisville, it will be the eight seed no matter what else happens.
NC State will face Louisville on Saturday at 6 p.m. at PNC Arena in Raleigh. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
