NC State basketball adds another ACC win with 78-66 road victory over Georgia Tech

Posted by Admin January 18, 2023 Basketball

Atlanta

N.C. State guard Jarkel Joiner promised the Wolfpack would be “road warriors” Tuesday at Georgia Tech.

The Wolfpack had to be in a 78-66 victory over the Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion, its fourth straight ACC win, coming in a game that was more by defensive grit and determination than offensive wizardry and smooth execution.

“We found a way to win a game when we didn’t necessarily play our ‘A’ game,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said. “In the second half our defense was better than the first. We came away with a great road win and hopefully we can continue to build on this.”

Terquavion Smith, the slender sophomore who never hesitates to take shot, from any range, again was the Wolfpack offensive leader with 25 points.

Smith swished two 3-pointers in the final five minutes of the game as the Wolfpack (15-4, 5-3 ACC) looked to pull away after the Jackets (8-10, 1-7) had edged within six points.

“I mean, he’s a pro. He could have been a first-round draft pick and he came back to school,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner said. “He’s a big-time player.”

Joiner and Casey Morsell serve as the Pack’s “old heads” and kept their poise when the Yellow Jackets led much of the first half and then made a move late in the second. Joiner finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Morsell had 12 points, a team-high nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

“I thought Casey was great,” Keatts said. “I thought all three of our guards were good. Casey does a lot of things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.”

The baskets didn’t come as easily for D.J. Burns Jr., but the big man made a few big ones. And Ernest Ross again gave the Pack a bolt of energy when needed as the Pack played without 6-11 junior Ebenezer Dowuona, out with an illness.

The team effort by the Pack offset its 15 turnovers — “Uncharacteristic of us,” Keatts said — and Georgia Tech coming away with 18 offensive rebounds.

Sophomore forward Jalon Moore had a team-high 19 points for the Yellow Jackets as Miles Kelly, a 6-6 sophomore and their leading scorer, was limited to nine points on 4-of-13 shooting.

Georgia Tech was a miserable 2-for-21 on 3-pointers and 8-19 at the foul line.

“They hit some tough shots and we missed some open shots. That was the difference in the game,” Pastner said “There was a lid on the basket. We couldn’t hit the ocean from the pier tonight.”

The Pack, which beat Tech in McCamish by 15 points last year, trailed most of the first half before a 12-2 spurt in the last four minutes provided a 42-37 lead at the break.

The Wolfpack, upping its defensive pressure early in the second half, pushed the lead to 51-43 in the first six minutes after Morsell blocked a shot and Smith got the ball to Joiner for a fast-break slam.

“We know we can score with anybody. Coach always preaches it’s more about stops, to disrupt their offense,” Smith said.

The Pack led by 12 before senior guard Lance Terry gave the Yellow Jackets a lift, with a 3-point play and later a rarity for Tech – a made 3-pointer.

After bolting to double-digit halftime leads in the three ACC wins, the Pack suffered through something of a slog the first 10 minutes of Tuesday’s game.

Georgia Tech played a 1-3-1 zone, looking to double Smith or Joiner at the top, while hitting six of its first eight shots in taking a 13-6 lead.

“They really hit us in the mouth and they were ready to play from the beginning,” Keatts said.

On one Wolfpack possession, Smith, Morsell and then Joiner all had open 3’s — and all missed. A few possessions later there were three wild Wolfpack passes before the ball sailed out of bounds, leaving Keatts standing with both hands on his head.

Enter Ross, the hero of the Miami game and Pack victory on Saturday.

The sophomore forward took a pass from Burns for a slam. He knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing, the ball banking in. He forced a turnover, diving on the floor to slap the ball ahead to Joiner for a fast-break score to tighten things up.

A driving layup by Smith, who had 14 first-half points, pushed the Pack ahead 38-37 with 1:29 left in the half. LJ Thomas followed with a short jumper and Smith hit a pair at the line to close out the opening half.

“Coach always preaches that every game is a great opportunity and just leave it all out there,” Smith said.

This story was originally published January 17, 2023 9:14 PM.

In more than 30 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 11th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.