The No. 21 NC State men’s basketball team pulled out a come-from-behind 69-67 win over Clemson with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from sophomore guard Braxton Beverly on Saturday in PNC Arena.
“My team always plays until the clock says zero,” head coach Kevin Keatts said. “I just told them to believe.”
Coming off an injury that kept him out for three games, junior guard Markell Johnson came in with 15 minutes left in the first half and made several big plays for the Wolfpack (16-4, 4-3 ACC), going 6 for 10 from the field and 3 for 6 from beyond the arc while finishing with 16 points, a team-high for the game.
“I was feeling really good” Johnson said. “After taking 2-3 weeks off with an injury, I was just glad to be back out there.”
NC State struggled to shoot from 3-point range in the first half, but fortunately for the Wolfpack, Clemson (11-8, 1-5 ACC) did as well. The Pack attempted 11 3-pointers in the first half and made two, both by redshirt junior guard C.J. Bryce, who finished the first half with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, carrying the team to a 30-24 lead at the break.
Clemson finished the game with zero made 3-pointers, missing all seven shots from long range. The Wolfpack didn’t shoot well either, and ended up 9 of 24 from 3-point range on the day.
“I’m just very excited for the turnaround we had today,” Bryce said. “I just have to have confidence in myself and confidence in my teammates. I know we’re ready for anything we have coming up and any team we play in the future.”
Bryce finished the game going 3 for 3 from behind the 3-point line and 5 for 8 from the field, totaling 15 points.
A relatively free-flowing game in the first half led to a foul fest in the second half. The Wolfpack found itself in the bonus with nearly 13 minutes to go. NC State ended up shooting 13 free throws, with 11 of them coming in the second half.
The two teams traded runs throughout the game, but the Tigers seemingly grabbed control of the game on a 12-0 run and took a 53-49 lead with just under six minutes to play. During the Clemson run, the Pack failed to score for nearly six minutes, going ice cold from the field thanks to a bevy of missed layups and 3-pointers.
The Wolfpack trailed for the last seven minutes, and some fans even began to exit the building after Clemson took a 6-point lead with just 26 seconds left, a margin that seemed insurmountable given the momentum of the game, but Johnson hit a layup and made the ensuing free throw after a foul on the shot to cut the lead to three.
With a chance to put the game out of reach, Clemson’s Marcquise Reed missed two free throws in a raucous PNC Arena. Beverly was fouled on the offensive end and made both free throws, cutting the lead to just one. Reed was fouled on the inbounds play, bringing him to the line again. He missed both, and C.J. Bryce raced down the court after grabbing the rebound and tossed it to Beverly, who was stationed well behind the 3-point line.
Beverly made the NBA-range 3-pointer as time expired, giving the Wolfpack a crucial 69-67 win over the Tigers.
“As soon as it left my hand, I knew I made it,” Beverly said. “When I heard the buzzer, I knew it was good.”
Beverly finished the game with 12 points, his buzzer-beater being the only 3-pointer he made in the second half.
“I thought our guys showed composure,” Keatts said. “It’s something we haven’t showed in the past as we continue to develop this program, but I thought our guys did a tremendous job listening to the time-outs and when to foul.”
The Wolfpack will take on No. 3 Virginia on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in PNC Arena.
Redshirt junior C.J. Bryce throws up a three. Bryce had 15 points in the game and had a team-high seven rebounds during the 69-67 buzzer beater win over Clemson on Saturday, Jan. 26 in PNC Arena.
