On a day when N.C. State students arrived as early as 1:15 a.m., the Pack put on a performance that was worth their while.
No. 20 N.C. State (14-2, 3-0) vaulted to the top of the ACC standings with an 84-76 upset victory against the top-ranked, and previously undefeated, Duke Blue Devils (15-1, 2-1) Saturday afternoon at PNC Arena. This is the sixth all-time victory for the Wolfpack against opponents that were ranked No. 1.
The four upperclassmen starters for State, two years removed from finishing the 2011 season with a 15-16 record, all contributed mightily to the upset win.
“Our guys played really hard,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “They knew this was a big deal.”
Junior guard Lorenzo Brown had a double-double with 12 points and 13 assists. Brown was the only player to have an assist for the Pack all afternoon.
“Brown is as good as there is in the country in transition,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He is a superb guard. His play in the last eight minutes of the first half and their transition offense is what won the game for them. He is as good of a guard as there is in the country.”
Senior forward Richard Howell, placed on a diet before last season by Gottfried immediately after he was placed in charge in 2011, had what his head coach called “a grown man’s game.” The senior tallied 16 points and 18 rebounds, tying an ACC-high set last season versus Virginia, and generally imposed his will throughout the second half.
“Richard was going over the top of ball screens, finding his way to the basket, and rebounding the ball,” Gottfried said. “Defensively and on the boards, [Howell] was off the charts.”
“[Howell] is just a beast,” Krzyzewski said.
After the final buzzer, the once-enigmatic junior forward Calvin Leslie, so often a source of consternation among Wolfpack faithful early in his collegiate career, danced wildly and was carried on the shoulders by State students who stormed the court after the game.
Several times in the second half when Duke appeared poised to make a run and overtake the Pack, it was Leslie who would summarily respond with clutch basket to keep the Blue Devils at arm’s length. The junior from Holly Springs finished with a game-high 25 points, along with six rebounds.
With 10:32 remaining in the game, Seth Curry, Duke’s leading scorer on the afternoon with 22 points, nailed a three-pointer to close the Wolfpack lead to one at 58-57. Leslie answered with a 17-foot jumper. On the Devils’ next possession, Curry missed another three-point attempt and Howell rebounded and Leslie then drove for another lay-up. Freshman forward Amile Jefferson, the source of much derision from the Wolfpack fans throughout the contest, missed a lay-up and then Brown fed Leslie for a close basket to push the Pack advantage to seven.
Later, with only 2:07 remaining, Duke senior forward Mason Plumlee, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds, scored a basket to cut the State lead to 73-69. On the next possession, Leslie swooped through the lane and contorted his body to produce yet another lay-up. The Pack never looked back afterwards, as N.C. State made nine out of 10 free throws in the final 50 seconds to seal the victory.
Overall, State shot 50.8 percent from the floor for the game, the first team to make more than half of its shots versus Duke this season. The Pack committed only 11 turnovers and, after being out-rebounded by seven in the first half, responded in the second half — led by Howell — to close the Blue Devil rebounding edge to only one at the game’s end.
“To win close games, you have to hit foul shots, especially with the lead,” Gottfried said. “Our guys did a good job with that.”
Fans celebrate on the court after defeating Duke in PNC Arena Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. The No. 20 Wolfpack defeated the No. 1 Blue Devils 84-76.
