The NC State men’s basketball team fell to Wofford Sunday in Reynolds Coliseum, as redshirt junior guard Trevor Lacey’s potentially game-tying three-point attempt was waved off. The loss marks the Wolfpack’s first home loss of the season.
With 1.9 seconds remaining and the Terriers leading by one, Lacey ran off of a screen from sophomore forward BeeJay Anya and dribbled the ball to the three-point line where he heaved a shot up and in. Despite the initial call of a made basket, the shot was reviewed and overturned.
“It’s tough,” Lacey said. “We celebrated, and then they went back and changed the call.”
Sunday’s game also marks the first loss by the Wolfpack men in Reynolds since relocating to PNC Arena in 1999. The game was not only the last game in Reynolds before the renovation gets underway in March, but could potentially be the team’s last game ever in the storied arena.
“[The atmosphere in Reynolds] is unbelievable,” Gottfried said. “Reynolds is going to go down to 5,500, and we need to talk about if we’ll ever play here again. It’s tough to have a game where you lose to be the last one.”
State had a rough start to the game, allowing the Terriers to break off a 6-0 run before recording its first basket with 15:33 left in the first.
During Wofford’s opening run, referee Karl Hess hit Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried with a technical foul.
“I never got an explanation, but I don’t know that they have to give me one,” Gottfried said. “I never swore. I never used any foul language. I thought that Trevor got tripped on the play driving to the basket, and I told him, and I got a technical for that.”
Two years ago, Hess ejected two NC State legends, Tom Gugliotta and Chris Corchiani, from a home game. Gottfried blasted Hess at a school pep-rally two days later, but Gottfried said he did not think about the officiating crew prior to Sunday’s game.
“It wasn’t an issue for me,” Gottfried said. “I don’t get too concerned with those kinds of things.”
The Pack continued to struggle for most of the first half, falling behind, 15-10, in the first 11:34 minutes. State committed four turnovers during that stretch and shot just 4-for-11 for the floor.
However, a three-pointer by redshirt senior Ralston Turner sparked a 11-0 run for the Pack to give his team the lead. Sophomore forward BeeJay Anya contributed five points during the streak.
Anya had another great defensive performance for State on Sunday. The big man recorded eight boards and four blocks, all while committing no fouls.
Despite the bumpy start, the Pack maintained its lead to go into the locker room with a five-point advantage. Lacey led the way for State at the half with seven points and three assists.
State maintained its lead through the first part of the second half, but did so in very inefficient fashion. The Pack shot just 31.8 percent in the closing half.
Wofford’s defense was disruptive all night, turning State over 11 times and limiting the Pack to just three offensive rebounds.
Many of the Pack’s points came from its exception percentage on the line. Despite averaging a 66.4 clip from the charity stripe this season, State went 12-for-13 from the line on 15 Wofford fouls.
Wofford worked its way back into the game little by little, fighting back from nine down to retake the lead with 48 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Lacey curled around a screen to sink a basket with 35 seconds left, regaining the lead for State. However, on the other end, Wofford answered with a perfectly-run out-of-bounds set, dishing a pass to a cutter on the baseline to convert the game-winning basket.
“I thought [junior guard] Spencer Collins made an incredibly unselfish play,” Wofford head coach Mike Young said. “He dropped it down there to [junior forward] Justin Gordon, who got it in the basket. That’s something we’ve been running for a long, long time.”
Despite Lacey’s shortcomings at the buzzer, the guard was crucial for the Pack down the stretch, scoring the team’s final five baskets from the floor. Gottfried said that Lacey played an excellent game.
“Lacey did everything right,” Gottfried said. “He’s beating himself up for no reason.”
State will return to action on Wednesday when Tennessee comes to PNC Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
The NC State men's basketball team suffered a tough 55-54 loss to Wofford College Sunday evening evening in Reynolds Coliseum. Redshirt junior guard Trevor Lacey led the Pack shooting 67% from the floor with 18 total points. The Wolfpack was handed the loss after Lacey's last-second shot was waved by the officiating crew, taking them to 8-2 on the season. The team will return to action Wednesday against the Tennessee Volunteers in PNC Arena.
