The NC State men’s basketball team was stunned by Clemson Wednesday night, falling by a score of 68-57. The Wolfpack shot just 28.6 percent from the floor, the team’s worst shooting performance since March 23, 2012 vs. Kansas.
State began the game by pounding the ball down low, combating the Tigers’ excellent three-point defense, the best in the ACC.
As he has done in the past two games, freshman Abdul-Malik Abu started off the scoring for the Pack, tacking on the first four points of the contest.
After trading baskets early in the game, Clemson broke off on a 25-2 run fueled by four State turnovers.
The Pack failed to make a shot from the field for just under 10 minutes, missing 10 straight shots on its way to a 19-point deficit with seven minutes to play in the first.
The Tigers were lights out from downtown in the first, knocking down five of their 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Senior guard Rod Hall was 2-for-2 in the opening period from three-point land and entered the locker room at half with 11 points.
Eventually, the Pack regrouped putting together a nice stretch of defensive stops to hold the Tigers scoreless for 3:30. However, the State offense failed to match the team’s defensive effort, committing two additional turnovers.
The Pack succumbed to another big Clemson run to end the first half and entered the locker room trailing by 20 points, its largest halftime deficit since February 2013.
State finished the first half with just 16 points, shooting 23 percent from the field. While the Clemson defense, one of the best in the conference, was excellent throughout the half, simple turnovers and poor shot selection were the Pack’s downfall in the opening period.
State responded quickly out of the break, jumping out to a 7-0 run in the first two minutes. The Pack played more intelligent defense, forcing the Tigers into tough positions that led to three quick Clemson fouls.
Once again, it was the Pack bigs who provided the bulk of the scoring early in the half. Abu and sophomore Kyle Washington scored six of the team’s first nine points.
Abu had another strong game, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. However, at times, the young forward looked like a freshman, turning the ball over three times.
Fouling proved to be an issue for the Tigers in the second. Less than five minutes into the half, the Pack was in the bonus, and with less than 10 minutes gone, State was shooting two on every foul. The Pack shot a total of 14 foul shots in the closing period, sinking 12 of its attempts.
State continued to chip away at the Clemson lead, but the Tigers managed to keep the Pack at bay through the early stages of the second.
As the game progressed, the Pack’s newly established full-court press got the best of Clemson, forcing the Tigers into five turnovers in less than two minutes. With just nine minutes left to play, State was in the midst of a 9-0 run and trailed by just three points.
However, Clemson quelled the Pack’s comeback attempt with a 6-0 run of its own, and eventually State’s defensive energy faded. The Tigers cruised through the final minutes of the half, making their final four shots and taking the game by double-digits.
NC State must regroup quickly, as the team faces Georgia Tech Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia.
