Survive and Advance. Some days it’s just like that.
NC State found a way to win at home over Georgia Tech 72-64 with Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner combining for a whopping 10 points, shooting 3-17. They each had 5 points, and entered the game ranked 1st (Smith) and 5th (Joiner) in the ACC in scoring.
How did the Wolfpack find a way to victory?
Burns. Ross. Morsell.
DJ Burns carried the team on his back, scoring 24 points (11-21 FG) and grabbing 8 boards. Ernest Ross reminded us once again what he’s capable of, coming off the bench to score 16 points, shooting 4 of 8 from the field. Most importantly, Ross was a perfect 7 for 7 from the free throw line. He also had 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The shots might not have been falling for Smith and Joiner, but don’t forget about Casey Morsell. He scored 17 points, making 6 of his 9 field goal attempts, and 4 of 7 from beyond the arch. He also had 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
Smith’s shot might have been off, but his passing game wasn’t. His 10 assists were a new career high, toppling his former best of 7 against Miami back in December.
Once again, NC State managed to find a way to win a game in which the other team shot better (44.1/41.9) than them. Heck, the Yellow Jackets out rebounded them (37-36).
How you ask?
Well, NC State forced Georgia Tech to commit 17 turnovers, scoring 11 points off of them (Georgia Tech had 5 points off of turnovers). Also, the Wolfpack had more offensive rebounds than the Yellow Jackets (12-10), scoring 11 second chance points (The Yellow Jackets had 7 second chance points).
Georgia Tech entered today’s game having won 4 straight against NC State in PNC Arena, and the Wolfpack found a way to snap that streak.
A 14-3 run by NC State in the final 4 minutes was enough for the Pack to seal the deal.
NC State will have a chance to pick up a Quad 1 win over UVA on the road on Tuesday night at 9pm.
This game could honestly go either way. Georgia tech is similar to State in the sense that they lack consistency. Both have been good at home but struggled on the road. Georgia tech coming in at 1-3 on the road is definitely a good sign so it’s really up to state to be prepared and try to build some confidence back at home.
They are getting “better tonight”. I sure wouldn’t want to see them when they turn bad again. Probably a 52 point beat down by Duke or Florida State. Getting real ugly fast again.