The Wolfpack loses another one possession game and remains winless on the road
Game Summary:
The first half was the last thing you expected by these two teams. There were 23 3PT shots, NC State 8-13 (61.5%) and Va Tech 6-10 (60%). The Wolfpack had 11 assists on 16 made baskets, exactly what you want to see. Huntley-Hatfield was still out nursing a shoulder injury, so Middlebrooks played most of the half but finished with only 1 foul. Jayden Taylor was hot, 3-6 from 3PT, leading the team with 11 points. The rookies showed in force, Diouf (2 pts) gave some quality minutes in relief, Heard (3 pts), McNeil (2 pts), and Trey Parker (2 reb) all played. Halftime score 45-34.
Of course, that white hot start could not be sustained – at least by NC State. The Wolfpack was 0-6 from 3PT in the second half but even so, had a 15 point (60-45) lead at the 13:07 mark. From that point forward, VT scored 34 points to NC State’s 16. The Pack’s defense wilted in the second half. The defense forced 10 turnovers in the first half, only 2 in the second. The Pack had 6 steals in the first half, only 1 in the second. The Wolfpack had the lead 76-75 with 2.3 seconds left but Marcus Hill fouled on a loose ball. Virginia Tech hit the free throws to take the lead 77-76 and stole the ball on the inbounds play and dunked for the final score, 76-79.
Overall Takeaways:
- NC State doesn’t seem to be able to hold a double-digit lead in the state of Virginia
- The Wolfpack’s offense showed up, 76 points is the second highest scoring total (other than FSU) against an ACC opponent. We shot a very respectable 50% / 42.1%.
- The difference in the game was defense. Specifically, the Pack could not guard the 3PT line, the Hokies were 6-10 (60%) in the first half, and 5-12 (41.6%) in the second.
- Another struggle rebounding, losing that battle 35-24
- NC State shared the ball well, 17 assists on 27 made shots (62.9%). Normally a recipe for success.
Individual Highlights
- Jayden Taylor led the scoring with 17, but it took him 14 shots to do it
- Dontrez Styles and Marcus Hill led the rebounding with 5 each
- The team did an excellent job sharing the ball, O’Connell with 5 assists, Pass with 4, Taylor with 3
- Ben Middlebrooks led the team with 3 steals
- Diouf played well, he scored 7 points in 13 minutes of relief time for Middlebrooks.
- McNeil was the first freshman off the bench and played 7 minutes
- Heard and Trey Parker got two minutes each.