N.C. State (16-7, 5-3 ACC) beat Boston College (7-15, 2-6 ACC) 56-51 at Chestnut Hill, Ma., ended its two-game losing streak and condemned the Eagles to their fifth consecutive loss.
It was the 13th meeting between the two teams with the Pack losing the corresponding matchup last season by a score of 66-75. However, the Wolfpack won the last time the two teams met at the RBC Center and started the game as the clear favorites.
The Pack opened the scoring with sophomore forward C.J. Leslie scoring on a layup followed by junior forward Richard Howell’s dunk. However, the Eagles under pressure following their string of poor performances, responded almost immediately with BC guard Matt Humphrey shooting from downtown. Humphrey would go on and make two more shots from beyond the arc during the game and was their leading shooter from that range as well as their leading scorer with 15 points.
Neither of the teams fully dominated the game, as both the Pack and the Eagles traded baskets with the score 15-11 in favor of the Pack with just more than eight minutes to go in the first.
Early turnovers hurt the Pack, with sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown responsible for four of them. Brown has now given up the ball 18 times in the last four games.
The Pack also struggled with their field goal percentage early on with Leslie’s missed layup, reminiscent of guard Alex Johnson’s miss against Virginia, being one of the many.
State’s shooting from beyond the arc was also far from what they would have hoped. Despite making three of the first four, it could only make two of the next 13.
Despite being expected to take the initiative in the game, State let the Eagles back into the game. State had a two-point lead going into halftime, but BC took the lead at 37-36 after an eight point run and left the Pack stranded at the 36 points for almost five minutes.
The Eagles looked to clinch the upset when they lead the Wolfpack by a point with 6:23 left in the second, however it was not to be as State went on a eight-point run, which included six consecutive free throws made, as the team looked set to redeem itself from its free throw woes from the last game.
BC fought back and made it a three-point game with seven seconds to go, but the Pack held on to equal last season’s record in conference play of five wins with eight games still left to play.
State next takes on Wake Forest at the RBC center Feb. 4 at 1 p.m.
High of the game- State’s free throw shooting, making 13 of 17, with eight consecutive in the last four minutes which was a huge improvement from last game and ultimately proved decisive as State won by a margin of five points.
Low of the game- State’s failure to dominate the game against one of the weakest teams in the ACC. The team lacked intensity for large parts and was lucky to come away with the win. State’s rebounding was also a big cause of disappointment as the team made 14 less than what it made in the last game with Howell just grabbing eight in comparison to the 18 he made against Virginia.
Technician sports man of the match: Scott Wood. Wood who had been largely quiet in the last two games, led the scoring with 16 points, making three shots from beyond the arc as well as a team leading three steals to go along with his perfect record from the free throw line.
