The NC State men’s basketball team nearly pulled off a come-from-behind win in its final home game of the season, but poor shooting all around proved costly as Georgia Tech came away with the 63-61 win Wednesday night at PNC Arena.
The Wolfpack (20-10, 8-9 ACC) shot just 31 percent from the field, its worst shooting performance since the 24-point performance against Virginia Tech, to push itself closer to the tournament bubble, while Georgia Tech (14-17, 6-12 ACC) used its size advantage inside to come away with the victory.
“It’s unfortunate because we had a great opportunity here,” NC State head coach Kevin Keatts said. “I told the assistant coaches coming in that I was a little nervous about the game because I don’t think our guys had practiced well.”
It was a slow start for the Wolfpack and if it weren’t for redshirt sophomore forward DJ Funderburk, it might have been even slower. Funderburk accounted for eight of the Wolfpack’s first 13 points as the Yellow Jackets jumped out to an early lead and would hold it for a majority of the first half as NC State struggled shooting against the zone.
The Wolfpack would cut into the lead, but could never get ahold of it until some heroics by redshirt sophomore Devon Daniels. With just over a minute to play before halftime, Daniels knocked down two 3s on consecutive possessions to give NC State its first lead of the game at 31-26.
NC State entered halftime with a 33-28 lead, but Georgia Tech took command of the game in the second half.
The Yellow Jackets’ zone stifled the Wolfpack offense all night, forcing it into a flurry of 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Braxton Beverly couldn’t connect all night, going 0 for 8 from beyond the arc and finishing with zero points. Redshirt junior guard C.J. Bryce was almost as ineffective, finishing 1 for 8 from the floor. Overall, the Wolfpack shot an abysmal 22 percent (8 for 35) from 3-point range, and if it weren’t for junior guard Markell Johnson, it would’ve been even worse.
“Braxton Beverly and C.J. Bryce didn’t lose the game,” Keatts said. “As a team, you can point out 10-15 different plays that lost the game leading up to it, we were lucky to be in the game.”
On a night where the entire team seemingly couldn’t get anything to fall, Johnson came alive in the second half, hitting four critical 3s down the stretch to keep the Pack within striking distance. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, Georgia Tech center James Banks III had other plans, going a perfect 8 for 8 from the field with 19 points on mostly dunks and layups right under the basket. He dominated the paint defensively too, recording four blocks and forcing the Pack to kick the ball outside.
“We got stagnant a little bit in the second half,” Daniels said. “We were just settling for jump shots.”
The Yellow Jackets’ grip on the second half started to loosen in the last minute following an entire second half of relatively error-free play. With 30 seconds left to play and leading 60-58, guard Jose Alvarado sprinted down the floor with a full shot clock, handing it off to teammate Moses Wright under the basket for a chance to effectively ice the game; however, he missed and the Pack had a chance to with plenty of time left on the clock.
After burning 20 seconds off the clock, redshirt senior guard Torin Dorn knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer to go up 61-60 over the Jackets, but it wasn’t a storybook ending for the fifth-year senior in his last game at PNC.
“The play kind of broke down, and I just got to an open spot and was able to knock it down,” Dorn said.
Coming out of a timeout, Alvarado raced down the floor and handed it off to Banks, who dunked it for the lead and earned a foul. Banks made the ensuing free throw with just over a second left, and while Bryce got a decent look at the other end for the Pack, Georgia Tech prevailed 63-61.
“I’ve given so much to NC State and it’s meant so much for me to play in front of these fans,” Dorn said. “I wanted to send them out with a win, but we weren’t able to do that. It’s definitely been an emotional roller coaster today, for sure.”
Dorn’s teammates were disappointed with the result, not only in terms of the team but what it meant for the lone senior on the team.
“We owe him one, and it starts in practice tomorrow,” Daniels said.
As for the Pack’s NCAA Tournament status, it certainly doesn’t help to lose to a Georgia Tech team at home that had lost seven of its last nine and is far out of the tournament picture.
“You’ll be able to get a clearer picture after we play Boston College,” Keatts said. “I don’t think anybody knows because of the new system of NET.”
The Wolfpack will look to pick up a crucial win Saturday when it travels to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to take on Boston College in what is a must-win for the team’s tourney aspirations.
Redshirt senior guard Torin Dorn looks to pass the ball during the game against Georgia Tech on Wednesday, March 6 at PNC Arena. The Wolfpack lost to the Yellow Jackets 63-61.
