Freshman Dennis Horner received a technical foul for slapping the floor, and Marist’s Will Whittington had just missed his first free throw as Reynolds Coliseum shook with students’ enthusiasm nearly seven minutes into the second half.
And junior Gavin Grant couldn’t help but break into a smile as he stood watching at mid-court.
After the game, a 69-62 second-round National Invitational win by the men’s basketball team, Grant said the technical foul free throws were among the highlights for him.
“It was fun, especially when they shot those technical fouls,” Grant said. “I think that’s the loudest I’ve ever heard any college arena.”
Such was the scene Friday night as the full range of both the crowd’s and players’ emotion were on display in a contest in which fans embraced a return to a place so rich in N.C. State basketball history.
Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe, who played in Reynolds when he was on the team in the 1980s, said playing in the “Red Barn” is something he loves and would like to do more of it if it weren’t for the RBC Center.
“It’s the atmosphere here. It’s Reynolds. It’s the people,” Lowe said. “If you can’t get excited to play in here, then you don’t need to play this game.”
For much of the game, those emotions were fueled by positive vibes, but the second half saw plenty of physical play, as well as displeasure from both teams with the officiating.
Both Lowe and Marist coach Matt Brady weren’t shy in their protests of referees’ calls.
The intensity came to a climax with less than two minutes to go after the Red Foxes’ James Smith pushed State redshirt freshman Brandon Costner in the back as they were going downcourt.
Costner had been visibly upset with the way the game was being called in previous minutes and had even taken a seat in a chair on the end line in frustration just 12 seconds earlier. After the push in the back, Costner stuck his index finger in Smith’s face and told him that if he did one more thing, there’d be a problem.
The technical was Costner’s fifth foul, ending his night after 10 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes.
Lowe said the technical on Costner was a tough break for his team.
“It’s just one of those things,” Lowe said. “It’s always the second guy [that] gets caught.”
Meanwhile, Brady said the tensions near the end of the game were not too worrisome.
“There was a lot of emotion in there,” Brady said. “But that’s just two teams trying hard to try and get the win.”
Despite five missed free throws and two turnovers in the final two minutes, the Pack held on to a lead that was once 17 points.
It was enough to advance State to the third round of the NIT and a Tuesday night contest at West Virginia. A win Tuesday would put the Pack in the NIT final four in New York City’s Madison Square Garden on March 27.
As the team moves on after such an emotional game, sophomore center Ben McCauley, who had a game-high 19 points, said the result, and not the technical fouls, are what matters.
“We ended up winning,” McCauley said. “And that’s what matters.”
