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Winning a game doesn’t have to be that hard, but that’s the difference between a good team and a good team. NC State almost lost enough time to lose to Pittsburgh, but it was a game that ended in late free throws, and there State had the advantage.
He didn’t need to go that far, knowing what we were doing with Pitt’s preferences – namely that the Panthers wanted to attack the offensive glass and that they would probably put some extra emphasis on it after losing a few starters to transfer.
Pitt caught nearly 46 percent of his missed shots, however, and that’s the only reason the Panthers stayed in the game and got in a position to steal it late. They shot the ball poorly, which was the expected result of their attrition – it was a team that was shooting poorly at the start. They kept the door open with rebounds.
NC State’s home defense was generally good, limiting Pitt to 36 percent shooting two. That initial part was never the problem, and ultimately it was decisive, as the Panthers were often left behind.
State also didn’t shoot the ball well, from anywhere on the floor, but State was better inside the arc (45%) and shot 24-34 from the free throw line, beating Pitt’s 19-30 effort. At the end of the day, it was a free kick contest, which no one wants.
Jericole Hellems led all Wolfpack scorers with 15 points, including a few free throws to put the game on ice in the final 10 seconds. Braxton Beverly, 8-9 on the strip, scored 14; DJ Funderburk had 13 and Manny Bates had 10.
Nothing in it was a model of efficiency, but it was a close game in the later stages of a game where the NC State freshman contingent was totally absent, and he won anyway. It’s a rush for a lot of games for this group, and the defensive rebound has been a frustrating struggle, but the Wolfpack found a way anyway.
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