OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GAME: Boston College
NC State started ice cold, suddenly became red hot and was able to withstand any attempt at a rally in route to an 82-66 win Tuesday over Boston College at PNC Arena.
The Wolfpack is now 19-9 overall and 9-6 in ACC play, matching its total of conference wins in the previous two seasons combined.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for a program that not only was coming off two straight losing campaigns prior to the hiring of Kevin Keatts as head coach but also the team started out the the current season sluggish -- with losses to Northern Iowa and UNCG (at home) before getting thrashed in its first two league games at Clemson and Notre Dame.
There is more work ahead for the Pack. The chance for a 20th win overall and 10th win in the conference -- which would guarantee a winning record in the ACC -- is available Sunday when NC State will host Florida State. In the meantime, Keatts will give his team Wednesday off before getting back into preparation mode.
HIGHLIGHTS
Allerik Freeman once again was a leader for NC State as he finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. Freeman scored 15 of his points in the second half and helped the Wolfpack kill off the contest late as he dribbled the ball into the waning seconds of the shot clock only to put the ball through the hoop or draw a foul. His play in isolation late was important for his team.
* Braxton Beverly (15 points, 5-of-6 from three-point range) and Sam Hunt (4-of-4 from three for 12 points) were literally perfect from the floor in a stretch where NC State, rebounding from an 0-for-8 start from the floor, made 13 shots in a row.
* The Wolfpack, who trailed 6-0 and took over seven minutes to hit its first field goal of the game, used its blistering shooting to take a 20-point lead with two minutes remaining in the first half.
*NC State was 9-of-12 (75 percent) from three-point range in the first half and 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) for the game.
* The Wolfpack used its depth to its advantage. Led by Hunt, NC State outscored Boston College 25-1 in bench points.
*Ball distribution was also solid for NC State, who finished with 19 assists on 29 made field goals. Markell Johnson led the team with eight assists.
* Often times, especially with NC State this season, the defensive approach has been to pick the poison and make a concerted effort to stop certain things in particular. Jerome Robinson struggled against the Pack. He finished with only eight points on 4-of-20 shooting. Robinson missed all six of his three-point attempts.
*Boston College was 4-of-25 (16 percent) from three-point range in the game.
LOWLIGHTS
Fortunately for NC State, the Eagles -- either due to solid Wolfpack defense or simply an off night --- struggled from the floor.
* Both teams made 29 field goals. NC State attempted 52 while Boston College remarkably hoisted 76 shots. A big factor in this was offensive rebounding. The Eagles enjoyed a 20-4 advantage on the offensive boards. While that led to a 18-6 tally in favor of Boston College in second chance points, the Pack’s three-point shooting and generally efficient night on offense negated those differences.
In fact, Boston College only outrebounded NC State by six (42-36) despite the heavy advantage on the offensive side.
* Johnson and Torin Dorn Jr. were a little loose with the ball, combining for 12 turnovers (seven and five respectively).
PACK +/-
+/- is the points scored by a team minus the points allowed by a team while a certain player is on the floor.
| Wolfpack Player | Plus/Minus |
| Sam Hunt | +17 |
| Abdul-Malik Abu | +15 |
| Omer Yurtseven | +15 |
| Braxton Beverly | +15 |
| Allerik Freeman | +11 |
| Markell Johnson | +4 |
| Torin Dorn Jr. | +3 |
| Spencer Newman | +1 |
| Lavar Batts Jr. | 0 |
| Lennard Freeman | -1 |
STAT OF THE GAME
NC State was 0-for-8 from the floor and committed six turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game.
The Wolfpack then made 13 straight shots and 17-of-19 overall to close the half.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"Like most of you guys, the first five minutes of the game, I was going to get up and leave because we had not scored. It’s weird. For whatever reason, we did not make shots early. I was okay with it because they only had six points.
"But by the end of the half, we ended up with 44 points. When you look at the first half, the two guys that were great were obviously Braxton Beverly and Sam Hunt. They did a tremendous job shooting the basketball. I think between the two of those guys, we made eight threes." -- NC State head coach Kevin Keatts