The Pack put its flawless record on the line Tuesday night against Northwestern and came out empty, dropping by a final score of 65-53 in the ACC’s 11th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It was State’s 10th, as last year it did not participate.
Ready to interrupt the Pack’s streak was Northwestern, a team that already beat a ranked opponent this year in Notre Dame Nov. 27.
Much of the hype surrounding the game was based on Northwestern’s Princeton-style offense, the likes of which State has rarely seen since Herb Sendek manned the bench for the Pack. That offense clicked early and often for the Wildcats.
“That offense is just annoying, but it works for them,” junior Javier Gonzalez said. “They keep running and you just have to stay disciplined and strong. Some people got beat back door, but [we’ll] learn from that.”
Pack head coach Sidney Lowe called the game “a tale of two halves” and said State could not capitalize on its chances.
“They were getting some good looks, and they missed them,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said of State’s offense. “Other nights, they might not miss them. The defense was effective, but…the shooters on their team seemed to be getting some pretty good looks.”
Those looks, however, did not fall for the Pack tonight. State converted on only 19 of its 56 field goal attempts and Gonzales hit the Pack’s only two three-pointers of the night. Freshman Scott Wood was particularly snake bitten, going 0-6 from the perimeter.
State fell behind and went to half time down 34-24. Senior Dennis Horner said though the Pack prepared for the Wildcats’ strange style, playing against it was a different matter.
“They run that 1-3-1 matchup. We got a little flustered by it,” Horner said. “We started getting looks, but we couldn’t knock down those threes.”
Gonzales took a hard elbow to the back and came off the bench wincing. Junior Tracy Smith said he was a different player after he returned to the floor.
“Javi played pretty good,” Smith said. “He did everything he was supposed to do.”
Later, Northwestern’s Alex Marcotullio received a technical foul for elbowing Gonzalez as both players fell out of bounds between both benches. Horner polished off both resulting free throws to make it 47-39.
“They were aggressive,” Lowe said. “They did what they had to do. I’m not saying that in a negative way, but they did what they had to do [to win.]”
One area in which the Pack played well late was in its transition game. Gonzalez, Horner, Smith and Mays fed each other for much of State’s offense in the second half off fast breaks. However, State generated its fair share of turnovers, something Smith said needed to be improved upon.
Smith, who looked sluggish early, went on a late hot streak, snagging 12 points and three rebounds while setting the pace for his team offensively. The home team mounted a comeback with less than nine minutes remaining, getting within four points off a Smith dunk.
But Marcotullio turned around converted a 3-pointer that took the wind out of the Pack’s sails. The Pack inched back once more, but Northwestern pulled away and improved to 6-1 while State fell to 5-1 overall.
“I am proud of how this young team fought,” Lowe said. “We just couldn’t make enough shots in either half.”
The Pack will take to the road and face Marquette Saturday at 3 p.m.
“[This was] just a learning experience for the young group of guys,” Horner said. “We’ve got a big game on the road Saturday.”
