Ryan Farischon
Senior guard Markell Johnson dribbles the ball past two Clemson players during the Men's Basketball game at the PNC Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. The Wolfpack beat the Tigers 60-54, with Johnson scoring 13 points.
After its two-point victory over Virginia this past Monday in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Wolfpack traveled to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. The Pack hoped to end its three-game losing streak against Georgia Tech, having last beaten the Yellow Jackets in February of 2017, but the team came up just short, losing the game 64-58.
Georgia Tech has been a particularly tough matchup for NC State during head coach Kevin Keatts’ tenure. The Yellow Jackets remain one of the two ACC schools that Keatts has yet to defeat, with Virginia Tech being the other. Georgia Tech now holds the longest winning streak of any ACC team over the Wolfpack with four games, including two victories in the 2019-20 season.
The Wolfpack got off to a slow start, missing 11 of its first 13 shots and falling behind Georgia Tech 8-19. Junior guard Braxton Beverly was the team’s one bright spot early on, as he came out of the gate hot, starting 3 of 3 from the field and 1 of 1 from 3-point range.
NC State turned around the first half by outscoring the Yellow Jackets 22-12 in the last 10 minutes. This was capped by a 10-3 run to end the half that gave the Pack a one-point lead, 32-31, going into the break.
With just under five minutes left in the first half, senior guard Markell Johnson drove for a layup that accounted for his 1,000th career point. Johnson is the 53rd player in program history to reach this milestone and just the fourth player in team history to record 1,000 points, 500 assists and 125 steals. Johnson went on to lead the Wolfpack in scoring, with 21 points on 50% shooting.
The game was back and forth for the entire second half. In the first 10 minutes, there were four ties and three lead changes. The biggest lead in the entire half was only six points.
After a pair of missed free throws by Georgia Tech with just over a minute left, Beverly hit a jumper to tie the game at 58. On the next trip down the court, Georgia Tech senior James Banks III tipped in a layup missed by junior Jose Alvarado to give Georgia Tech the two-point lead.
After the in-bounds, NC State redshirt senior guard C.J. Bryce set up a screen and attempted to hand the ball off to Johnson, but was stripped by Alvarado, who was immediately fouled and sent to the free-throw line. Alvarado made both free throws to put Georgia Tech up by four, effectively ending the game.
While the Wolfpack had three players score in double figures, it was its offense that ultimately led to its sixth loss of the season. The team shot just under 38% from the field and 4 of 19 from 3-point range.