The NC State men’s basketball team lost a close game on the road to Boston College 71-68 Sunday night. The Pack came up just short in a comeback effort that saw it take a lead late in the second half.
The Wolfpack (16-9, 7-7 ACC) started off the game slow, trailing 17-8 through less than nine minutes played. The game remained back and forth throughout the first half, with the Eagles (12-13, 6-8 ACC) holding onto a 40-33 lead at halftime.
NC State came out strong in the second half and was able to keep cutting away at the deficit until finally taking a 66-64 lead with just over three minutes remaining. The Eagles answered quickly with five points that gave them a 69-66 lead with one minute remaining.
After a quick score from sophomore forward Jericole Hellems to cut the lead to just one at 69-68 and a defensive rebound from redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels, the Pack had one last possession to win the game.
With a chance to win the game, Daniels tried to take it in for the potential game-winning basket, but the ball was eventually stolen by the Eagles for a dunk that gave the hosts a 71-68 lead with eight seconds remaining.
The play turned out to be controversial, as the replay showed Boston College’s Steffon Mitchell stepping out of bounds on the steal. It was deemed by the referees to be a non-reviewable play, so the score stayed the same.
A big reason for the Pack’s slow start was poor shooting from junior guard Braxton Beverly and senior guard Markell Johnson. Beverly didn’t hit a single field goal on the night, going 0 for 5 with his only point coming from the charity stripe. Johnson didn’t fare much better, only going 2 for 4 from the field and not hitting a single free throw.
A bright spot for the Pack was the scoring from Hellems off the bench. The sophomore forward scored 15 points, shooting 5 for 10 from the field, including a 3-pointer. The Pack will need more players like Hellems to step up if it wants to make one final push for the NCAA Tournament.
NC State men’s basketball will be back in action on Wednesday, as it hosts No. 7 Duke at 9 p.m. Be sure to follow @TechSports on twitter for live updates.
