The NC State men’s basketball team ended a two-game losing streak Wednesday, Feb. 17 on the road at Pittsburgh, winning 74-73. This was only the second road win of the season for the Wolfpack (9-9, 5-8 ACC).
“I thought we got some stops when we needed to; I thought we did a great job executing when we needed to,” said NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. “I’m proud of these guys, as this is our second road win in a row. I think this is a game we can build off of.”
The Wolfpack was led in scoring by junior forward Jericole Hellems, who finished the game with 17 points, and redshirt junior forward D.J. Funderburk, who finished with 16 points. Freshman guard Cam Hayes had arguably his best game in a Wolfpack uniform, scoring 11 points and dishing out nine assists. Senior guard Braxton Beverly was also in double figures for NC State with 12 points.
The Pack came out hot from the floor, making five of its first six from the field to run out to a 12-9 lead at the first media timeout. It did not settle for 3-pointers, as all five field goals came from inside the arc.
The Wolfpack turned Pittsburgh (9-8, 5-7 ACC) over six times in the first 12 minutes of the game. One of NC State’s strengths is scoring in transition after turnovers, something the team continued in this game. The Pack scored 11 points off those six Panther turnovers to push its lead to 25-16.
After NC State’s strong start offensively, Pittsburgh moved to a zone defense that slowed the Wolfpack down a little. While this happened, the Panthers got hot offensively. Pittsburgh made seven of its last eight from the field, including a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer from Au’Diese Toney to cut the NC State lead to 40-39.
Funderburk was the focal point scoring-wise in the first 20 minutes for the Wolfpack, finishing the half with 13 points. However, the most notable stat line in the first half was Hayes with seven points and seven assists, a sign of good progress by the freshman.
Moving the ball was a theme for NC State as 12 of its 17 made shots in the first half were off passes that were credited as assists.
“Just making sure that we can get everybody involved is what me and Shakeel [Moore] have been trying to do lately,” Hayes said. “That’s one of the big emphasis on us, getting assists.”
As it did in the first half, the Wolfpack made five of its first six field goals to start the second half. However, early on in the second half, Pittsburgh dominated the boards, scoring five second-chance points in the first five minutes to keep the game within three points, at 50-47.
With 13:38 left in the game, Femi Odukale for Pittsurgh was assessed a technical foul for rolling over on Hellems after the whistle. Afterward, Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel was also assessed a technical foul for arguing with the officials. This gave NC State four attempts at the charity stripe, with Hellems making all of them, to give the Pack a 56-48 lead.
As it did in the first half, Pittsburgh hung in there and battled back to get within one point at the under-eight media timeout. In what was a very physical and chippy game, it was all to play for down the stretch.
“It ended up being a toughness game,” Keatts said. “It was a game of who wanted it the most, not that those guys didn’t want it, but both teams had come off losing two in a row. We needed a good win to make us feel better and obviously get a road win. So I am excited that we finished the way we did.”
The momentum went back in the favor of NC State with five minutes left in the game when redshirt sophomore center Manny Bates dunked on a Pittsburgh defender to give it a 67-61 lead. Five straight points from the Panthers made it a 67-66 game with 3:42 left at the last media timeout.
With 23 seconds left in the game, Hayes hit two clutch free throws to give the Wolfpack a 74-71 lead. On the ensuing Pittsburgh possession, Champagnie got fouled while going in for a layup then made both free throws. After NC State inbounded the ball, Hayes was called for a travel, giving the Panthers a chance to win the game. One last defensive stop as time expired clinched the 74-73 win for NC State.
“This win was extremely important for us,” Funderburk said. “This game we put a big emphasis on personnel and not beating ourselves down the stretch.”
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 20 at Wake Forest. NC State will be looking to defeat the Demon Deacons for the second time this year after previously winning 72-67 at the end of January. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the game being streamed on regional sport networks. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for live coverage.
