N.C. State got its seventh win in conference play when it defeated Georgia Tech 61-52 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta on Thursday.
Tech (9-15, 2-8 ACC) came into the game after breaking a six-game losing streak, but it proved to be a long shot for the Yellow Jackets as the Pack (18-7, 7-3 ACC) moved up to joint first position in the ACC for number of conference wins this season.
This was the 89th meeting between the two teams, with Tech having won 82-71 the last time the two teams met at the RBC Center. The Pack opened the scoring through senior guards C.J. William’s jumper and had a 5-2 lead after Williams shot from downtown.
However, a poor start by State resulted in a 8-point run for the Yellow Jackets, which culminated in a 13-2 run as Tech held the initiative with a little over 12 minutes to go in the first half.
Just as it looked like the game was slipping away, the Pack responded quickly with Williams adding 6 more points to his total as N.C. State tied the game at 24 each with 2:54 to go. State then went on to take the lead for the first time in more than 15 minutes after a jumper from guard Alex Johnson. This made the score 26-24 going into the second half.
Despite State’s 13-3 run to close the first half, Tech opened the scoring in the second half and tied the game. However, that proved to be a mere consolation as a pair of threes by junior guard Scott Wood and Williams, with the latter completing a 4-point play after getting fouled on a lay up, handed State the momentum early in the second half.
The Yellow Jackets, led by Glenn Rice with a game-high 17 points, went on a 7-point run with about a fifth of the quarter still left to go to make it a 4 point game. It proved too little too late as the Pack ran away to record its best start in conference play since the 2005-06 season.
The game also saw Wood miss his first free throw after making 64 consecutive from the line. Wood’s effort ranks fourth in the history of first division college basketball.
The Pack next travels to Duke University on February 16.
High of the game: State’s defending of three-point shots. Tech scored nine times from downtown the last time the two teams met, but could go only 1-17 from beyond the arc tonight, which proved decisive in the final result.
Low of the game: State’s lack of energy in the first half. Despite opening the scoring, the Pack let the Yellow Jackets take an early lead on a 13-2 run; had it been any other team in the ACC, the end result might have been very different.
Man of the Match: Despite sophomore forward C.J. Leslie’s double-double, it was C.J. Williams who proved to be the best player on the court. Williams scored 7 of the first 9 points and had 11 in the first half. Had it not been for him, State would have been down by even more early on. He also helped the Pack establish a solid lead with a 4-point play early in the second half and was solid all night.
