After Wednesday’s heart-breaking loss to archrival UNC-Chapel Hill on a last-second layup, Saturday’s home game against Miami was always going to be a trap game for N.C. State.
The Wolfpack (17-12 overall, 7-9 ACC) fought bravely, putting together a run midway through the second half to claim a brief lead over Miami. But the Hurricanes (15-14 overall, 6-10 ACC) proved to be too much on the day, answering with a late run of their own to oust the Pack by a final score of 85-70 at PNC Arena.
Sophomore forward T.J. Warren was the Wolfpack’s catalyst in the second half, scoring 20 points with seven rebounds and three steals on the afternoon. Freshman forward Kyle Washington chipped in as well, scoring 13 points, one point shy of his career-high mark at State, and going seven-of-nine from the free throw line.
But the Hurricanes simply overwhelmed the Pack on Saturday. Miami scored 85 points in the game and shot 59 percent from the field, both season-highs for the ‘Canes. The Hurricanes had five players score 14 points or more, including senior guard Rion Brown, who had 20 points on seven-of-13 shooting.
Miami took an early lead, slicing up State’s defense and getting to the rim for uncontested layups. Both squads went back and forth until Turner tied the game at 20-apiece with his second 3-pointer of the afternoon. State eventually took the lead the 5:12 mark, thanks to a floater from Warren.
Lee found his shooting stroke in the first half, banging in two 3-pointers in as many minutes to help State keep its lead.
Miami briefly re-took the lead, but Washington answered for the Pack, hitting a left-handed hook shot with 18 seconds left, drawing a foul in the process. The Champlin, Minn., native converted the and-one to put State on top, but the ‘Canes hit a 3-pointer to end the first half, taking a 37-36 lead into the break.
The Hurricanes were the faster team out of the halftime gates, stretching their lead to as much as eight points over the opening ten minutes of the second half.
But then Warren erupted, converting an and-one after an offensive put-back. The Durham native then grabbed a steal on Miami’s ensuing inbounds play and made the fast-break layup to cut Miami’s lead to three. Just over a minute later, Warren ripped another steal in the backcourt, finishing off the break with a two-handed slam.
The Pack’s press continued to cause Miami fits, and eventually helped State take its first lead of the second half. The Wolfpack grabbed two more steals in the ‘Canes’ backcourt, both converted into dunks by Warren, giving State a one-point lead with just over six minutes remaining.
But just as the Wolfpack seemed to be gaining momentum, Miami quickly quelled the State’s outburst. The ‘Canes reclaimed the lead and went on a 13-0 run, stretching its advantage to 77-65 with 2:15 left, essentially putting the game on ice.