Wolfpack Fold, #8 Irish Refuse to Lose in OT

NC State as clicking on all cylinders once again. They were up nearly 20 once again, and they folded up once again as Notre Dame stormed back from a 18 point deficit to beat the Wolfpack 81-78 in OT. 

Early on it was the Wolfpack who looked like a top 10 team in the country. They were scoring from everywhere. They were hitting jumpers, Abu was scoring every time he touched it inside. Cody Martin was locking down on defense and driving to the basket for buckets. Lacey and Turner weren’t even being utilized as scorers in the early going. Lacey racked up 5 assists pretty quickly as Cat Barber was benched to start the game. But all of that was short lived….

Soon after, Abu picked up his 2nd foul and was sent to the bench. This is when State changed. They went back to a team searching out the jumper. Ralston Turner took contested 3 after contested 3 and Trevor Lacey was forcing everything he could. The Irish did a good job of not allowing those guy to get clean looks but State kept taking them. As the tides began to change as the first half came to a close, Jerian Grant started to come alive, driving to the basket and finishing or dishing out to Connaughton or Jackson for 3. At the half, the 18 point lead had become 12 and the momentum seemed to have shifted.

The second half was much of the same. State struggled to get anything other than jumpers and the Irish closed off any 2nd chances by owning the boards. State stayed with the lead most of the 2nd half. The margin stayed thin and the Pack was even up 5 with 1:16 left to play.

After a Grant FT, instead of going inside and trying to get to the line, they took a Cody Martin jumper and missed. Jackson came down for the Irish and hit a layup. Making it a 2 point game.

This is where things got weird. With 16 seconds to play and up 2. NC State simply had to inbound the ball. ND would foul and they would have to ice it at the line. They had a group of guards in. Ralston Turner (88% from the line), Trevor Lacey (75% from the line) and Cat Barber (70% from the line.). Instead of taking their chances at the line, Martin breaks deep and Lacy throws a high arching full court pass that Martin has to go up and fight for. Of course, it goes off of him out of bounds and the Irish get the ball and a chance to tie with 16 seconds left.

And then it happens. The usual ‘State on defense final possession.’ They defend as hard as they can, they shut off all good shots. When the Irish finally do get one off its with only 6 seconds left, they miss, they tip it up, no good, they tip it again….and it falls in. We go to OT.

Overtime was much more of the same. Abu had fouled out so State was one dimensional again and after taking an early lead, the Irish came back took the lead and ended up winning by 3 when Lacey couldn’t get a buzzer beater to fall.