Sophomore forward T.J. Warren scored with 6.2 seconds remaining in overtime to help give N.C. State a wild, 80-78, overtime win against Georgia Tech on Sunday afternoon at PNC Arena.
Warren, coming off of an ankle injury against Duke on Jan. 18, led the Wolfpack (13-7, 3-4 ACC) with 20 points and six rebounds and was one of four State players to score in double figures. Junior guards Ralston Turner and Desmond Lee had 12 and 11 points, respectively, and sophomore guard Tyler Lewis chipped in with 10.
With the score tied at 78 apiece with 30.6 seconds remaining, N.C. State head coach Mark Gottfried called timeout to design a play. The Wolfpack dribbled out most of the clock, and then fed Warren, who drove into the lane and hit a runner to put the Pack on top.
Warren said the winning play couldn’t have been drawn up any better.
“It was perfectly executed,” Warren said. “We did it exactly as the coaches told us to do it.”
State trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half, and the shot capped a come-from-behind victory. The Wolfpack overcame a huge day from Georgia Tech senior center Daniel Miller, who led his team with a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds. The Jackets owned the Pack on the boards, outrebounding State 42-21 and ending the day with 18 offensive rebounds.
Seconds later, Georgia Tech’s sophomore guard Trae Golden was whistled for an offensive foul on the other end, turning the ball over with 2.5 seconds left. The Jackets (11-9, 2-5 ACC) immediately fouled Turner on the inbounds play, but the junior missed both free throws to leave the door open for a last-second comeback.
Tech ran an full-court inbounds play, reminiscent of Valparaiso’s game-winning play against Mississippi in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, but sophomore guard Chris Bolden’s heave clanged off the rim at the buzzer.
The Jackets led 40-35 at the half, shooting 13-of-26 from the field. They also shot 10-of-14 from the free throw line and had four three-pointers.
The Pack led for much of the first half, but Georgia Tech forged ahead on two free throws by sophomore guard Marcus Georges-Hunt with 7:44 before halftime. State didn’t lead again until a layup from Lee with 7:11 remaining in the second half.
State’s defense stiffened after halftime, limiting Tech to 15-of-39 shooting in the final 25 minutes. For the game, State shot 32-of-60 and 5-of-13 from three.
“I’m stubborn because I like to stick with my [man-to-man] defense,” Gottfried said. “But today we went zone, and I felt comfortable with it. Sometimes you have a hunch and you bet a bunch.”
Miller’s jumper with 15:56 remaining in regulation put Tech up 52-41, its largest lead of the game, but from there the Pack began to slowly chip away at the lead.
Lewis, who was three-for-25 from three-point land before Sunday’s game, kicked off State’s comeback by nailing a pair of threes.
State continued to creep closer until Lee’s layup gave the Pack the lead. The game went back-and-forth from that point forward until the end of regulation.
“We had a lot of different players step up and make big plays and contribute,” Gottfried said. “I can go down through just about everybody in the lineup; they made important plays for our team.”
With State trailing 72-70 in the final minute of regulation, Warren missed a jumper, but Lee was there for the put-back to tie the game at 72 apiece with 16.1 seconds left.
Golden’s three-point attempt at the buzzer missed everything, forcing the extra session, where the Wolfpack prevailed thanks to Warren’s floater and hard-nosed defense.
State returns to action on Wednesday night as it hosts Florida State. Tipoff at PNC Arena is set for 9 p.m.
