A shorthanded NC State men’s basketball team recorded its first road win of the season Saturday, defeating the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee by a score of 72-63.
After dropping a heartbreaker in Raleigh to UNC-Chapel Hill Wednesday night, the Pack (13-6, 4-2 ACC) took to the road, continuing its brutal stretch of ACC contests against the Seminoles (9-9, 1-4 ACC).
NC State shot 56 percent in the first half and led by 12 at the break, but the Seminoles fought hard in the second half, closing the gap and forcing State to make tough shots down the stretch.
“If you have any desire to be in the NCAA Tournament, which we do, you have got to find a way to win on the road,” NC State head coach Mark Gottfried said post-game.
The Wolfpack handled its business, but did so without starting sophomore point guard Anthony “Cat” Barber, who sat out the game after learning of a death in the family the day before.
Gottfried applauded his young floor general’s maturity in dealing with the situation.
“I appreciate [Cat],” Gottfried said. “This morning at breakfast he was still grieving. He didn’t want to hurt our team.”
Freshman Cody Martin replaced Barber in the lineup, and from tipoff the team roared out of the gate, amassing a 19-point lead in the first half that eventually dwindled to 12 as the Wolfpack’s shooters cooled off.
In the second, State clung to a lead that quickly diminished, and after weathering the Pack’s first-half storm the Seminoles managed to tie the game at 60 with 2:55 left in the game.
The Wolfpack’s fade in the second was most likely a consequence of the brutal stretch of ranked ACC teams faced in the previous week and a half, which included Virginia, Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Needing to regain momentum, Gottfried turned to a familiar late-game threat: redshirt senior guard Ralston Turner. The Alabama native came off a screen and hit a contested three-pointer to give the Wolfpack a three-point advantage and propulsion to see out the game.
NC State finished off the game with sharp free-throw shooting and efficient scoring to maintain separation. The team shot 12-of-18 from the line over the course of the contest.
Scoring for the Pack was more balanced than usual, as six different players scored at least seven points. Redshirt junior Trevor Lacey led the way for the Pack with 17 points and five assists. Turner was close behind with 15 points. Freshman Caleb Martin and sophomore Kyle Washington each added eight points in the win.
Cody Martin scored seven points on three-of-four shooting, including a dunk to seal the win.
Gottfried was understandably relieved by the team’s ability to stave off a potential comeback and making a last push, despite the obvious fatigue built up by the schedule’s difficulty.
“More than anything, I am proud of the way we responded after they made their run,” Gottfried said. “Sometimes that is hard to do. We were able to make one more push out, which I thought was very important. I was proud of our guys that we answered a run.”
Despite missing one of its primary producers on the offensive end and its primary on-the-ball defender, big performances team-wide vaulted State to a difficult win.
Gottfried noted the difficulty of the ACC no matter the opponent.
“We are happy to win,” Gottfried said. “Whether you are up or down, it doesn’t matter who you are playing. Wins in this league are hard to get.”
The Wolfpack will continue its stay in Florida, facing a Miami Hurricanes team that also defeated No. 5 Duke. The game will take place at the BankUnited Center Thursday at 8 p.m.
