Nick Faulkner
Redshirt senior guard Terry Henderson pulls up for a three point during the 107-56 loss to UNC-CH in the Dean Smith Center on Jan. 8.
The NC State men’s basketball team fell to the Boston College Eagles, 74-66, Wednesday night in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
The Wolfpack showed signs of a hangover from its dreadful performance against UNC-Chapel Hill Sunday, as it got off to a sluggish start offensively. NC State could not buy a basket and freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. was forced to take over. Smith shot 3 of 5 from the floor and chalked up 10 points in the first half, becoming the only member of the Pack to finish the half in double-figures.
Smith had a forgettable performance per his standards, scoring 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting. The normally hot-handed guard hit only one of his four 3-point attempts and shot just 6 of 10 from the foul line.
NC State shot the ball dreadfully as a unit, hitting only 44.4 percent of its shots for the game and knocking down a mere five of its 17 attempts from deep. Free throws also became an issue down the stretch, as a few late misses from the line put the Pack in a hole.
Poor offense turned into instant points for the Eagles, who feasted on the Wolfpack’s careless ball-handling and awful shot selection. Boston College racked up 23 points off NC State’s 17 total turnovers. The Eagles also soared in the transition game, adding 10 fast-break points resulting from unwise NC State shots.
On the defensive-end, the Pack could not be found either. NC State allowed Boston College to work the ball inside with ease, getting outscored in the paint 34-26 by an Eagles team lacking significant size. BC also notched six of its 15 tries from 3-point land. Foul trouble cost the Wolfpack as well, and Boston College certainly made the most of its opportunities from the charity stripe. The Eagles made all but one of its free throw attempts, shooting 18 of 19 in the contest.
Boston College’s sophomore guard, and Raleigh native, Jerome Robinson absolutely gashed the Pack’s weak interior defense. The scoring-guard drove the ball to the rack with a purpose all night, either scoring or getting fouled in the process. Robinson tallied 24 points to go with three boards and five dimes.
As for the Wolfpack, the only player to join Smith in double-figure scoring was redshirt senior guard Terry Henderson. Henderson finished the game with 14 points, and hit two of his six 3-point attempts. After a stretch of excellent play from the backcourt combination of Smith and Henderson, the duo has been kept relatively quiet in the team’s last two outings.
Another one of NC State’s veterans and primary scoring options is junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu. The big man chipped in on the glass with 11 rebounds but only scored eight points while shooting a mediocre 4 of 10 from the floor.
The Pack won the rebounding battle with an advantage of one. However, NC State should have dominated the glass against a much smaller and less physical Eagles team. Excluding Abu, no Wolfpack player grabbed more than three boards in the contest.
Boston College showed more consistent effort and energy, which led to second-chance points, steals and plenty of easy baskets. NC State showed a lack of hustle, and the Eagles simply looked the like the team that was more hungry.
The loss marked the Pack’s fourth road loss of the season, as the team has yet to win a game in enemy territory. The Wolfpack has lost true away games by an average of 22.25 points this season, and have many times looked disinterested in fighting back when down. To live up to the lofty expectations coming into the season, the team must pick up quality road wins.
NC State returns to more comfortable territory on Sunday as it returns home to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in PNC Arena at 6:30 p.m.