Frustration continued Saturday for the NC State men’s basketball team. Poor shot IQ, lifeless rebounding and foul trouble led to the Wolfpack’s demise. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons crushed the Pack (14-12, 3-10 ACC) in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 88-58.
Despite the early foul trouble from the Pack, Wake Forest (15-10, 6-7 ACC), a team that ranks second in the ACC and top 10 nationally in free-throw percentage, had an off night from the line. The Deacons shot a below-average 64.7 percent from the charity stripe. But what Wake lacked in free throws, it made up for down low.
Sophomore John Collins established his presence in the paint, scoring eight of the Deacon’s first 14 points. Collins went 6 of 7, scoring 14 points and collecting three boards in the first. Sophomore Bryant Crawford had the hot hand as well; the Silver Spring, Maryland native shot 80 percent from the floor, scoring 13 points before the break.
“We had some adversity in the first half, and I thought we needed to have a lot more poise,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “Poise means executing your offense and getting a better shot. Poise means fixing something defensively without dropping your head. I thought that was probably the biggest difference, that in the first half. Then you’re down 20 something, and you’re swimming uphill.”
Junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu was seemingly the only member of the Pack who played a solid first half; he had 9 points and one board after the break. Undisciplined fouls and abundant turnovers plagued the Wolfpack offense in the first. Wake Forest capitalized on NC State’s 10 turnovers with 12 points of its own. At the half, the Pack was down 44-24, its lowest point total going into the break since the Jan. 8 loss to UNC-Chapel Hill when the Pack scored 23.
Outside of one ferocious dunk, freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. struggled to find open lanes to the hoop. The Fayetteville native recorded just four points and two assists in the first, and also committed three turnovers.
“I believe we have got to have some more heart,” Smith said. “We competed pretty hard in the second half but we got to start the game like that. Everybody has to compete, give it your all, you can’t lay down for anybody.”
In the second half it was more of the same for the Pack. The Demon Deacons took uncontested shots from deep and virtually no pressure came from the NC State big men. Redshirt sophomore Keyshawn Woods exploited the Wolfpack’s perimeter defense. Although Woods usually plays a supporting role, he was 5 of 7 from deep and 50 percent from the field, scoring 19 points for Wake.
Collins’ dominance down low persisted in the latter portion of the contest. The inside scorer had almost all of his baskets stem from dunks; he finished the contest shooting 69 percent from the floor, scoring 23 points and corralling seven boards. The contest marked his eighth-straight 20-point game, the longest streak in ACC play this season and longest in the league since NC State’s T.J. Warren had 20 in 15 straight games.
“I think he’s [Collins] really good,” Gottfried said. “I think John Collins is right there [with the best bigs in the country]. He runs the floor really well. He puts pressure on your transition defense and he can run … He certainly has become one of the better interior guys in the country.”
Smith Jr. led the Pack in points with 17, but the best performance came from redshirt sophomore guard Torin Dorn. The Charlotte transfer has been coming off the bench since sophomore guard Maverick Rowan’s return to the starting lineup, resulting in his decreased minutes per game. Dorn registered a quiet double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Though he had an impressive individual performance, Dorn believes the team has work to do.
“With five-straight losses, the only way to go is up,” Dorn said. “We just have to come with better energy, better focus and try to turn this thing around.”
As conference play winds down, urgency is at an all-time high for NC State. The Pack’s hopes of clinching a tournament appearance are disappearing right before its eyes. The Wolfpack must virtually win out in order to keep its season alive. NC State’s season will hang in the balance on Wednesday against UNC in PNC Arena. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.
Head coach Mark Gottfried yells instructions to his team during the second half of the Wolfpack's 88-58 loss to Wake Forest on Feb. 11 at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
