The No. 19 N.C. State Wolfpack fell to No. 14 Miami, 79-78, on Saturday afternoon in PNC Arena. State played the game without junior guard Lorenzo Brown, the team’s starting point guard. Miami forward Reggie Johnson converted a last-second tip-in as the Hurricanes handed State its first home loss of the season.
With 47 seconds left and the score 78-77 in favor of the Wolfpack, Miami gained possession after freshman guard Tyler Lewis missed a jumper in the lane. After the Hurricanes got the rebound, they immediately called timeout with 10.9 seconds remaining.
Out of the timeout, Miami guard Shane Larkin pushed up a contested lay-up that hit rim and missed, but Miami forward Reggie Johnson was there for the put-back with only .9 seconds left on the clock. Johnson’s basket put Miami up by one point.
Freshman guard Rodney Purvis’ three-quarter court desperation shot hit rim but bounced out as the buzzer sounded to end the game.
With Brown sidelined by an ankle injury sustained in last Tuesday’s game against Virginia, head coach Mark Gottfried’s job was sure to be a challenge. Gottfried chose to run a 7-man rotation, inserting junior center Jordan Vandenberg in place of junior forward C.J. Leslie. Vandenberg, who made his first career start as a member of the Wolfpack, played only seven total minutes. Purvis started the game at point guard, flanked by freshman forward T.J. Warren and senior guard Scott Wood.
The game was defined by spurts by both teams. Coming out with tenacious defense and physical frontcourt play, the Hurricanes found an early rhythm, jumping out to an 11-7 lead at the first TV timeout.
Following the timeout, senior forward Richard Howell led an offensive surge for the Wolfpack. Around the 10-minute mark, with the Pack leading 25-24, Howell had 11 points while the rest of the team combined had 14.
After a technical foul by Johnson on Warren, the crowd at PNC roared to life—and so did junior forward Calvin Leslie. Leslie carried the Pack throughout the night, scoring eight points in the final nine minutes of the first half. Leslie finished the game with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Purvis closed the half with an emphatic SportsCenter Top-10 worthy put-back dunk off a Leslie miss. A confident Wolfpack group went into the locker room ahead, 40-34. The Pack led the Hurricanes in all shooting percentages and rebounds in the first half.
Had the Wolfpack won, the story of the game would have been freshman guard Tyler Lewis. Lewis played much bigger than his 5’10 stature would suggest, finishing the night with 16 points and five assists in 36 minutes.
With 8:56 left in the game, Miami retook the lead and went up 67-62 before Gottfried called timeout. The Hurricanes lead was a product of their 15-2 run, including 11 unanswered points. But Purvis answered the bell with a slashing drive and a quick three to put State right back in the game.
The end of the game felt all too familiar for Wolfpack fans, whose four ACC losses have all come by three points or less. Two of those losses have come off last minute tip-ins by the opposition.
After a pair of turnovers, Leslie got fouled underneath the basket and went to the line for a one-and-one situation. The score was 78-76, Pack. Leslie missed the front end of his one-and-one and then fouled Miami’s Durand Scott on the other end, who made one of his two free throws.
State got the ball back and Gottfried called a timeout to set up a play for Lewis, who had the hot hand throughout the game. Lewis drove to the basket and pulled up for a 12-footer, but missed. Miami grabbed the rebound and after a timeout sent the Wolfpack faithful home disappointed.
With the loss, State falls to 16-6 overall, 5-4 in the ACC, while the Hurricanes remain undefeated in ACC play with a perfect 8-0 record, 17-3 overall.
The Wolfpack’s next game will be against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium this Thursday night.
