Nick Faulkner
Redshirt junior guard Torin Dorn is contested as he goes up for a shot. Dorn nearly posted a double-double with 18 points and nine boards during the 86-68 win over Presbyterian College on Thursday, Nov. 16 in PNC Arena.
The NC State men’s basketball team was dominated by the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers 68-51 on Sunday in John Paul Jones Arena.
The Wolfpack (12-6, 2-3 ACC) struggled shooting all night making only 41.1 percent of its 53 shots. The Cavaliers (16-1, 5-0 ACC) took advantage of better ball movement and fouls from NC State.
Redshirt junior guard Torin Dorn led the team with 16 points after only two in the first half. Freshman guard Lavar Batts Jr. was the only other Wolfpack player to record double-digit points in the loss.
The game started out shaky for State. After consistent pressure on the defensive side of the ball by forcing eight turnovers, the team struggled to finish shots with a 33.3 field goal percentage, including missing all nine of its 3-pointers in the first half.
The first half saw only 19 shots for the Cavaliers to the Wolfpack’s 30, but with making all seven of their free throws and shooting 60 percent from behind the arc, Virginia held the 30-20 advantage going into halftime.
The second period started slowly for the Wolfpack who did not score until three-and-a-half minutes after the half as the deficit grew to 15 points.
The Pack trailed by as much as 23 and could never recover even after a strong comeback from Dorn and a slightly better shooting percentage in the second half.
Both teams tallied 15 turnovers and had shining moments on defense. However, it was the 16 Virginia assists to the Wolfpack’s seven and 14 made free throws that put the game away for Virginia.
State outshot the third-best team in the nation by 15, but could not consistently put the ball in the bucket, especially on 3-pointers with a dismal 12.5 percentage.
The Wolfpack could not handle a fourth-straight win against ranked teams this season and drops to a tie for ninth place in the ACC.
NC State will return to PNC Arena as it hosts Wake Forest on Thursday night.