NC State basketball’s comeback falls short. Wolfpack loses to Virginia Tech, 62-59
The fight that Kevin Keatts has liked about his team all season was there, even though it was a bit late.
The inability to put the ball in the basket, though, will get you every time no matter how much fight you have.
N.C. State started the game 0-12 from the floor against Virginia Tech. Things did get better, but the damage was already done. The Hokies did what they were supposed to do, taking advantage of a slow start from the Wolfpack. Virginia Tech picked up its second ACC win of the season, defeating N.C. State, 62-59.
“Offensively, we weren’t very sharp in the first half,” Keatts said. “But the conversation at halftime was we’ve been here before and just rely on your defense. I thought we played good enough defense in the first half where the game didn’t get away from us. I thought we came out in the second half with great energy.”
The Wolfpack did make it interesting. Terquavion Smith, the freshman who has yet to shy away from the spotlight, twice hit triples to pull N.C. State within six. Each time, though, the Pack would give up a bucket to Virginia Tech.
The real momentum killer came with under 10 minutes remaining. Smith’s third 3-pointer of the second half made it 50-44 in favor of the Hokies. After the basket, N.C. State guard Cam Hayes was called for a technical foul.
Naheim Alleyne only hit one of the two free throws, but what life N.C. State had was sucked out of the building.
The fact the Wolfpack had a chance late is something none of the fans at PNC Arena could have predicted early on.
The bad news for N.C. State started 90 minutes before tip-off. The school announced that freshman Ernest Ross would miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. The man who would get most of those minutes, Jaylon Gibson, did his part early. The sophomore forward scored the first four points of the game for N.C. State. That was as good as it got on the night for Gibson.
Virginia transfer Casey Morsell (11 points) came off the bench and gave the Pack a spark in the first half. Dereon Seabron, State’s best player, only took four shots up until the last 10 minutes.
The combination of Seabron, Smith and Jericole Hellems were a major reason N.C. State cut the lead to two, 55-53, with 5:33 remaining. But Seabron missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Justyn Mutts scored a layup on the other end to push the lead to four.
Mutts (13 points, 6-8 shooting) was part of the reason the Hokies scored 34 points in the paint. Without Ross, that was one less big man at Keatts’ disposal. Keatts rotated Gibson and Ebenezer Dowuona, but one missed defensive assignment after another allowed Virginia Tech to score at ease inside. That’s been a constant problem this season.
The surprising issue this time was how flat N.C. State started the game. The Woflpack shot 8-25 (32 percent) from the field in the first half. For most of the game they didn’t have a go-to guy. Morsell had flashes, but wasn’t as aggressive late in the second half as he was in the first.
Seabron, Hellems and Smith finished with a combined 42 points, but were sleepwalking through the first half.
Virginia Tech picked up its first ACC road win of the year and N.C. State hasn’t won in Raleigh since December 9.
When the Wolfpack defeated the Hokies on Jan. 4 in Blacksburg, Va. they outrebounded Virginia Tech 36-26. This time around the Hokies (10-7, 2-4) dominated the glass, 37-26. Virginia Tech scored 13 second-chance points.
Morsell and Gibson were the only bench players to score for N.C. State.
Seabron tried his best to steal a win for the Pack, scoring four straight to make it a three-point game, 60-57.
He then muscled his way to the basket for a contested layup, making it 60-59 with 20.3 remaining.
Sean Pedulla, the Hokies freshman guard, calmly hit two from the line, pushing the lead to three with 12.4 remaining. That gave Keatts time to set up a play.
Smith, who finished with 14 points, bobbled the ball briefly, but was able to get an attempt off. His shot bounced off the rim and N.C. State’s comeback attempt came up short.
“We have to stop beating ourselves,” Keatts said. “If we do the little things at the end we’re going to get over the hump. If you start taking care of business with the little things you’ll win more than you lose.”
MORSELL BRIGHT SPOT
The junior had his best game since injuring his foot against Nebraska on Dec. 1. Morsell missed two games and hasn’t made a return to the starting lineup. However, he scored 11 points off the bench against Virginia Tech and gave the team a spark on both ends of the floor.
“He gave us a different dimension,” Keatts said.
Morsell scored 14 points in back-to-back games before his injury. His 11 against Virginia Tech was the first time he’s scored in double digits since leaving the Nebraska game with the injury. He was averaging seven points coming into Wednesday, and had eight in the first half. Morsell told the media he is feeling 100 percent. Against Virginia Tech it showed.
“With the ankle injury, it was definitely a step back for me,” Morsell said. “Wasn’t as quick, wasn’t as explosive. I think I kind of rushed it back, but as time goes on I feel a lot better. Trying to get into a flow and a rhythm definitely takes time.”
GROUNDHOG DAY
The State losses are starting to look a little familiar. The Wolfpack has dropped several one-possession games, including a pair of league games that came down to the wire. Keatts said it’s a matter of taking care of the little things, but it appears there is a formula to State’s heartbreak: have a scoring drought, get down and make a run. Wash, rinse, repeat.
“It’s the details, man, the details,” Morsell said. “Just locking in on the little things. We know as a team we can compete with any team in the country. It’s just locking in on one last play or completing a possession or everyone remembering plays, just doing the little things to win games.”
State has gotten off to hot starts but has had trouble closing games. This time N.C. State found itself in a 15-0 hole, trailed the entire game and got it as close as one with 21 seconds remaining. But in a way too familiar scene, State couldn’t make the one extra play down the stretch.
“When you look at the ACC I think there’s a lot of parity among some of these teams,” Keatts said. “That doesn’t mean on a given night that certain teams can’t be better than the others.”
DEFENDING SEABRON
Last time out against Virginia Tech, Seabron finished with 21 points on 8-14 shooting. He had 13 on Wednesday on 5-10 shooting. He scored seven in the final seven minutes. Seabron pointed out how the Hokies guarded him differently the second time around.
“I definitely could tell anytime I had the ball, if I was trying to attack it was all five guys loading in the paint,” Seabron said. “It was hard for me to get driving lanes.”
That’s to be expected with one of the top guards in the league. That’s another reason Keatts was excited to see Morsell emerge as an extra scorer.
“It’s everything,” Keatts said. “People are game planning against Dereon and even Terquavion. They are packing the paint and staying at home and we have to have someone else to provide a lot more than we were getting before.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 9:03 PM with the headline "NC State basketball’s comeback falls short. Wolfpack loses to Virginia Tech, 62-59."
