Describing N.C. State’s game against Miami as a ‘must-win’ might have seemed too early, but N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe used the term following the Wolfpack’s 72-70 dramatic victory over the Hurricanes at the RBC Center on Sunday afternoon.
“They are all must-wins for me,” Lowe said. “You can put a capital on that or an asterisk beside it. It was a big win. It’s an ACC game. We’re trying to start something and we were at home. There was a lot riding on that [game].”
With more than 80 Wolfpack basketball legends on hand to honor the program’s 100th anniversary, State (12-7 overall, 2-3 ACC) let a 17-point second half lead slip away but was able to make key plays during the late stages of the game to preserve its second conference victory.
A Tracy Smith put back with 40 seconds remaining, followed by a Ryan Harrow steal and a chaotic scramble for a loose ball as time expired, highlighted a thrilling final minute and ended the Pack’s three-game losing skid.
“We still have a lot of the season left, but I think this was a great win for us to get our confidence back,” Smith said, who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
For the third straight game, Lowe used a different starting five. Joining Smith and junior Scott Wood in the starting lineup were Harrow, junior C. J. Williams and sophomore Richard Howell, who finished with a team-high 17 points and hauled in five rebounds in only his fourth start of the season.
“Richard was really good,” Lowe said. “He started with great energy, rebounding, passing and scoring. I thought he got a little tired but he was really good. Richard is another player that understands what we’re doing offensively and defensively.”
The energy of the Pack’s new lineup was evident in the game’s opening minutes as the team sprinted out to an early 12-2 lead against the Canes—something the team has struggled to do all season.
“I don’t think we’ve ever started out like that so that really helped us out,” Harrow said.
State held the lead for the entire first half and added to it when Williams buried a desperation three-pointer as time expired to give State a 37-30 halftime advantage.
The Wolfpack started the second half even hotter than the first, going on an 18-8 run to extend the lead to 17, the largest of the game. But Miami (12-7, 1-4 ACC) responded with a 22-6 run, sparked by three consecutive three-pointers by Malcolm Grant, to pull within three points. The Hurricanes tied the game at 64 with 3:48 left to play when Durand Scott connected on a jump shot.
With one minute left to play, Scott gave Miami the lead for the first time all game, but the Pack reclaimed the lead on Smith’s put back. Harrow’s steal led to a made free throw by Williams, pushing the score to 72-70. Wood, who finished with 11 points, deflected Grant’s pass intended for Reggie Johnson, causing a massive scramble as time expired.
Johnson, who scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, battled with Smith in the paint the entire game with neither player backing down.
“He’s a big kid,” Smith said of the six-foot-10-inch, 303-lb. Johnson. He’s strong and can move around well. It was a battle, just two big kids going at it.”
With road games at Clemson and North Carolina looming, the Wolfpack hopes it can carry momentum from its ‘must-win’ victory over Miami into Clemson, S.C., on Tuesday.
