Instant observations: NC State’s comeback bid falls short at Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — NC State’s offensive struggles in the first 20 minutes at Virginia put the Wolfpack in a hole it was able to dig itself out of, but the Cavaliers had enough to put the comeback bid to bed.
The Wolfpack overcame a 15-point scoring output in the first half to force overtime, but fell just short in a 59-53 result at John Paul Jones Arena.
Pack went cold … for a long time and often
In a game where two defensive teams are squaring off, it’s bound to have some ugly stretches on offense. But NC State’s scoreless periods were for extended segments and they happened a little too often for comfort for coach Kevin Keatts.
The Wolfpack went cold for more than five minutes midway through the first half, which allowed the Cavaliers to take a 10-6 lead on a 7-0 run. NC State was 0-for-7 from the field in its first drought of the night.
But that wasn’t the only extended struggle of the opening period for NC State. It went dry again near the end of half, which allowed Virginia to go on a 13-2 run to take a 13-point lead in the contest in six minutes without a point. NC State was 0-5 from the field on that stretch.
In all, those two droughts combined for more than 11 minutes of game time in the first 20 for the Pack. It led to a 15-point effort in the first half, which was the fewest points in a half since it scored 14 at Virginia Tech on Feb. 2, 2018.
When it appeared the Wolfpack found a rhythm on offense in the early stages of the second half, it went cold soon after. The Pack scored 6 quick points out of the halftime break through DJ Burns, but it went scoreless for more than five minutes to let Virginia take a 14-point lead early in the half.
Offense finally found life
NC State’s offense struggled mightily in the first half, but it finally started to click midway through the second half. It put together a 16-3 run over seven minutes of game time to take a 1-point lead with 4:27 to go.
Graduate guard DJ Horne hit his first bucket of the contest during the outburst for the Pack, its first 3-pointer of the night on its sixth try. That was a positive sign to come for the Wolfpack, which was able to knock down shots that it struggled to in the first 20 minutes.
The Cavaliers were able to stave off the Wolfpack’s furious comeback bid with a 3-point play from Reece Beekman and a long 2-point jumper from Isaac McKneely in the final three minutes. NC State forced overtime with a graduate guard Michael O’Connell tip-in with three seconds left in regulation.
NC State shot a 46.7% clip in the final 20 minutes, up from the 25% shooting percentage from the field in the first half, to force another five-minute period.
Virginia opened the overtime period on a 6-0 run, and was able to hold onto that advantage in the extra time.
Rebounding struggles hurt
NC State was outrebounded by Virginia, and the Cavaliers simply out-efforted the Wolfpack. It wasn’t a close margin either, aided by Virginia’s ability to own the offensive glass.
Virginia had four offensive rebounds on its first possession of the night, which set the tone for what was to come for the Cavaliers even though they didn’t score on that trip down the floor. By the 10 minute mark of the period, Virginia had nine offensive boards compared to NC State’s two.
The 10th offensive rebound for the Cavaliers was a back-breaker for the Wolfpack. NC State had played solid defense, and forced a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, but Virginia’s Jordan Minor collected the board. He finished with a two-handed flush, which sparked a Virginia 13-3 run to close the first half.
NC State struggled on the glass, which allowed Virginia to dominate the contest. The Cavaliers ended up winning the rebounding battle 53-32, including 20-7 on the offensive glass, and it marked the worst rebound difference of the season for the Pack.
The Wolfpack’s inability to grab the boards let the Cavaliers score 10 second-chance points as it went on multiple runs throughout the night. NC State had not allowed more than 16 offensive boards in a single game this season up to this point.
The post Instant observations: NC State’s comeback bid falls short at Virginia appeared first on On3.
