Led by another monster performance from sophomore forward T.J. Warren, 12th-seeded N.C. State won its first-round NCAA Tournament game against fellow No. 12 Xavier,74-59, in Dayton, Ohio. Warren scored a game-high 25 points, his 30th 20-point game of the season. The Durham native also broke the N.C. State school record for points in a single season, boosting his season total to 843. The previous record was 838, held by former Wolfpack great David Thompson.
Despite Warren’s huge night, it was State’s supporting cast that paced the Pack. Junior guard Ralston Turner poured in 17 points and freshman forward Kyle Washington made an instant impact by netting six of the Pack’s first nine points, highlighted by a fast-break dunk. Washington also grabbed five rebounds.
Making an early exit after picking up two quick fouls in the first five minutes of play, Warren failed to score a point for more than eight minutes. By that time, State led 14-12. With Warren back on the floor, State hit its stride, going on a 10-2 run to extend its margin to 10 with 9:06 left in the first half.
But Xavier would not go away quietly as the Musketeers answered with a 12-3 run of their own to cut State’s lead to one. During the stretch, Xavier’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Semaj Christon, sank six of his eight first-half points. However, the Pack did a good job putting pressure on Christon in the opening period, forcing the guard into five turnovers and two personal fouls. Christon finished the game with 14 points.
The Pack ended the first half in style as senior center Jordan Vandenberg converted an old-fashioned three-point play on a hook shot to put State up 34-28 entering the locker room. At the half, eight of the nine Wolfpack players who saw action had scored, a rare feat for a team with one player who usually dominates the scoring.
After losing Washington to foul trouble in just 30 seconds, the Pack saw its lead shrink to two as the Musketeers came out of the break guns blazing. Christon’s layup brought Xavier to 39-37 at the 16:03 mark.
Assists played a big part in the Musketeers’ early success, as each of the team’s first four buckets came off a dish from a teammate. This was in contrast to the first half when Xavier only recorded one assist.
Warren took it upon himself to answer for the Pack, scoring six points in a span of 67 seconds to help State stretch its lead to nine with 11:06 left in the contest.
After a rare jump shot from Vandenberg, the Pack took a 12-point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. On the next possession, the Musketeers implemented a full-court press in an attempt to stop the Pack’s momentum. But Vandenberg answered the bell with a thunderous dunk off a slick pass from sophomore guard Tyler Lewis to keep Xavier out of striking distance.
Lewis improved on his incredible 4.03 assist-to-turnover ratio by dishing out eight dimes with only one turnover. He finished with more assists than the entire Xavier team.
The Pack was able to ride its momentum through the remainder of the game, outscoring the Musketeers 14-8 in the final five minutes en route to the 15-point victory. It was State’s first win by a margin that large since defeating Wake Forest on Feb. 11.
Following the victory, State will travel to Orlando, Fla., to face fifth-seeded Saint Louis (26-6) in the NCAA Tournament’s second round on Thursday night.
