OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GAME: Notre Dame
Here are the highs and lows from NC State's 76-58 home win over Notre Dame.
NC State started well and pulled away early in the second half to cruise past Notre Dame, 76-58, in PNC Arena. The victory Saturday moves the Wolfpack to 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the ACC.
Notre Dame has lost seven straight since thumping NC State by 30 points on January 3rd.
The victory also gives NC State more wins overall and in ACC pay than the program had in each of the last two seasons. The Pack is currently tied for fourth place in the conference and has tiebreaker advantages of two teams ahead in the standings (Clemson and Duke) while having a game later in the season against the school (Louisville) that it is tied with.
With eight games left in the regular season, NC State controls its own destiny in regards to conference play and its postseason hopes.
HIGHLIGHTS
Torin Dorn Jr. led NC State with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. Dorn continued his solid but judicious work from behind the three-point line, making 2-of-3. He is looking confident on his long range shot but, most importantly, his shot attempts are coming directly within the framework of the offense -- which is clicking because of the penetration from Markell Johnson and Braxton Beverly.
Johnson is the first player in school history to dish out at least 10 assists in four straight games. It is a feat that should be given added credence when considering Chris Corchiani Sr. is second all-time in NCAA history in assists.
He finished with five points, six rebounds and 10 assists against Notre Dame. It is not a stretch to suggest that Johnson could one day become the third player in NC State history to finish a game with a triple-double.
* It is also clear that NC State is simply a different and much better team when Markell Johnson is on the court. Even the game NC State lost since his return where Johnson featured prominently, a home defeat against Miami, the Wolfpack executed well offensively.
Meanwhile Beverly scored 16 points Saturday, second-most for NC State in the contest, and it included a 70-second stretch early in the second half where he scored seven unanswered points to extend the Wolfpack’s lead from 16 points to 23. Afterwards the result of the game was no longer in doubt.
* Omer Yurtseven finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and hauling down 10 rebounds. The Turkish big man also blocked a pair of shots.
* The play of Abdul-Malik Abu might be just as important in the context of the remainder of the season. His stats were modest (eight points, five rebounds with a block and a steal) but he managed to play 30 minutes while also displaying some of the footwork inside that made him an All-ACC candidate.
Unlike some recent contests, the Wolfpack did not rely on three-pointers as much Saturday. NC State attempted 18 shots from behind the arc, making six. Instead there was an emphasis on attacking the basket and taking available mid-range jumpers.
The Pack connected on 24-of-42 (57.1 percent) of its shots inside three-point range. NC State also pulled down 12 offensive rebounds on 30 missed shot attempts.
LOWLIGHTS
Although NC State hauled in an offensive rebound on 40 percent of its missed shots the Wolfpack only managed eight second-chance points in the game. It is a number slightly less proportional to State’s shooting percentage for the game (50 percent) and belies the fact that a team made half of its shots. It also accentuates how well the Pack shot on its first attempt overall, as 20 of the 24 made field goals came on the first shot attempt of the possession.
Notre Dame made 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) of its field goals in the second half. There were times NC State seemed to hit lulls although to be fair the result of the contest was no longer in doubt. Habits can form and the Wolfpack will look to keep its foot on the pedal in the future.
PACK +/-
+/- is the points scored by a team minus the points allowed by a team while a certain player is on the floor.
Torin Dorn Jr.: +27
Markell Johnson: +25
Braxton Beverly: +19
Omer Yurtseven: +11
Abdul-Malik Abu: +9
Allerik Freeman: +4
Lennard Freeman: -+3
Sam Hunt: 0
Spencer Newman: -2
Lavar Batts Jr. : -6
STAT OF THE GAME
January 3rd, 2018: Notre Dame 88, NC State 58
February 3rd, 2018: NC State 76, Notre Dame 58
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"Well guys, what a difference a month has made. When you look at it, when we went to Notre Dame I thought it was our worst game of the season. Nothing went right. We didn’t shoot the ball well. I thought our defense was really bad, especially our three-point defense. We didn’t share the basketball. Give these guys credit. What a turnaround that we’ve had. We played extremely hard today on both ends of the floor." -- NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts