With hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth hanging in the balance, the NC State men’s basketball team was unable to complete its comeback against the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers Wednesday night, falling by a score of 51-47.
The loss marks the Wolfpack’s (14-11, 5-7 ACC) fourth home loss of under five points during the season.
“I’m extremely proud of my team,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “I thought we played very hard and we played well enough to win outside of the fact that we had some chances offensively and didn’t score.”
NC State simply couldn’t make shots. Senior guard Ralston Turner, the team’s go-to spot-up shooter, struggled from long range, going 0-for-6 in the contest. The Pack as a team went just 3-for-17 from beyond the arc over the full 40 minutes.
This poor shooting killed the team’s attempts to take advantage of a misfiring Virginia squad (22-1, 10-1 ACC), which the Pack held to just 37 percent from the field and 18 percent from three-point range.
“Our team as a whole played a good game,” freshman forward Abdul-Malik Abu said. “Everybody showed passion. Everybody showed effort. If a couple shots fall here and there, and I think we come out with that win.”
Additionally, Virginia averaged the second fewest turnovers at 8.5 per game heading into Wednesday’s contest, but the Wolfpack forced 12 from the Cavs on the night.
Despite flirting with a four-guard lineup against Wake Forest, Gottfried continued with Abu and sophomore forward Kyle Washington. The usual guard trio of Turner, sophomore Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber and redshirt junior Trevor Lacey manned the backcourt.
The two teams traded runs over the opening period, with the Wolfpack missing its first three shots before a three from Washington got the team back on track.
Neither team shot well during the first half, as voracious perimeter defense from both sides hurt efficiency. NC State shot just 31 percent from the field on 9-for-29 shooting, including 2-for-8 from beyond the arc. Virginia also struggled, going 9-of-27 from the field while making just one three-pointer.
It was apparent that the Cavs missed junior guard Justin Anderson, the team’s second-leading scorer. Anderson, a 48-percent shooter, was ruled out six-to-eight weeks with a fractured hand. Junior forward Evan Nolte replaced him in the starting lineup, but scored just three points on the evening.
State struggled to drive against Virginia’s interior defense but did find success with a small-ball lineup that drew the Cavs’ bigs away from the basket. Despite being the smaller side, the Pack matched the Cavs’ production in the paint; both teams scored 22.
At the intermission, State had a narrow 21-19 lead. Lacey and sophomore guard London Perrantes led all scorers with seven apiece on identical 3-for-6 shooting.
In the second half, the teams again traded baskets and played relentless defense. Neither team breached the 30-point mark until 9:55 left in the contest.
The Pack took a 33-31 lead, but the Cavaliers mounted a 7-0 run over 1:43 to take the lead, 38-33, with 5:42 left.
State responded, however, as freshman Caleb Martin made a pair of free throws before grabbing an offensive board and dishing to sophomore BeeJay Anya for the slam with 5:08 left.
It was at that moment that the game took its turn. Martin was called for a flagrant-one technical foul and within moments, Virginia stretched its lead to five, forcing State was forced to play catch-up.
Gottfried stated after the game that he was not pleased with the call.
“I’ve watched the tape,” Gottfried said. “I have great respect for the crew, but I disagree with the call.”
Down three with one minute left, State had a chance to go for the tie, but Martin hesitated on a corner three before pulling up and clanging the ball off the front of the rim.
Virginia redshirt junior guard Malcolm Brogdon made crucial free throws down the stretch, keeping the hard-pressing Pack at bay.
A three by Lacey gave State life, but the Alabama native’s luck ran out as his potentially game-tying layup rim out with seven seconds remaining, all but sealing the game for the Cavs.
