In its first ACC game of the season, NC State men’s basketball defeated Boston College 84-78 in overtime. This win marks the Pack’s third straight at Boston College and its first ACC-opening win since 2020.

After leading for the entire second half, the Wolfpack (5-2, 1-0 ACC) offense went cold in the final minutes, allowing the Eagles (5-3, 0-1 ACC) to tie the game and send it to overtime. Graduate guard DJ Horne had his best game in a Wolfpack uniform and willed his team to a victory in the extra session.

The Pack entered overtime without graduate forward DJ Burns — who fouled out in the final minute of regulation — but Horne picked up the slack and then some. After hitting just one 3-pointer in the second half, the red-and-white made three in overtime, all assisted by Horne.

The Arizona State transfer was the focus of the Eagles’ defense because he torched them all night long, totalling 21 points. But Horne made key extra passes in overtime, leading to open shots for his teammates. Once NC State took the lead in the extra session, Boston College was forced to foul, and none other than Horne hit five of his six free throws in overtime.

NC State found itself in trouble early after missing its first six shots from the field, but the combination of Burns and Horne boosted the Pack to a 36-33 halftime lead. Horne showed off his ability to score at all three levels in the first half, scoring 12 points — including two 3-pointers — while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists.

When the Eagles put the Pack in a 7-2 hole to start the game, the visitors turned to Burns, who helped engineer an 11-0 run in which he scored six points. Coming off a season-low five points against Ole Miss, the big man was determined to put that performance in the rearview — and he did, finishing the contest with a season-high 17 points. 

On the other end of the court, the Pack made life miserable for Boston College forward Quinten Post. He came into the game as the ACC’s leading scorer but finished the first half with just three points, all on free throws. Head coach Kevin Keatts threw multiple bodies at Post, but junior forward Mohamed Diarra bothered him with his physical defense. Along with shutting down the Eagles’ best player, Diarra had 12 of the team’s 19 rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

It was a back-and-forth second half, with each team trading buckets for most of the frame. Junior guard Jayden Taylor led the attack for the Pack in the second half, letting his defense fuel his offense. Taylor recorded four steals in the last 20 minutes and aggressively attacked the basket. 

As NC State tried to extend its lead in the second half, the Eagles continued to feed Post, who had much more success in the second frame. Post scored 15 points in the half on 7-9 shooting, helping the Eagles tie the game. Boston College tried the same strategy in overtime, but the Pack had an answer this time — NC State held Post scoreless in the extra session, including a vicious block by Diarra. The Missouri transfer was a crucial piece off the bench, snatching down a career-high 18 rebounds along with two blocks. 

NC State pulled off a much-needed victory over the Eagles after losing two straight games. Although it wasn’t pretty at times, winning on the road is hard in college basketball, and closing out a tight game is a good experience for a group still learning how to play with each other.

Next up, the Wolfpack will return to Raleigh to take on Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at Reynolds Coliseum. Tip-off is for 7 pm.