The NC State men’s basketball team turned in one of its better performances of the season as it took care of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 76-61, ending a six-game losing streak in the process.
The Wolfpack (11-16, 4-12 ACC) never trailed and led by as much as 30 in a sound defeat of the Yellow Jackets (10-15, 3-11 ACC).
Right from the jump, it was evident that NC State was feeling it as the Pack scored the game’s first 10 points. That was just the beginning of a brilliant first half for the Pack, which scored a season-high 51 first-half points on a staggering 59.4% from the field and 57.1% from deep.
The catalysts for the Wolfpack’s first-half performance were freshman guard Terquavion Smith, who hit 4 of 5 3-pointers on his way to 18 points in the period, and sophomore guard Cam Hayes, who scored 12 points in the half as part of one of his better performances of the season.
The onslaught continued at the start of the second half as the Pack went up 59-29 minutes into the half. That 30-point lead was NC State’s largest of the season thus far. The Wolfpack held a steady double-digit lead the rest of the way, with the closest score being 73-59 with 1:22 left, but the Pack had it the whole time as it won 76-61.
As a team, NC State ended up shooting 41.9% from the field while holding the Yellow Jackets to 37.5% and also outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 44-35.
Smith led all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including going 6 for 8 from deep. Hayes had 14 points, senior forward Jericole Hellems had 15 points and redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Next up, the Pack returns to Raleigh for a game against Boston College on Wednesday, Feb. 23, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. and the broadcast set on RSN.