ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com
N.C. State's Josh Davis fights for a rebound with Northwestern's John Shurna (24) during the first half at the RBC Center.
With a young team and low expectations, N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe wants his team to play hard. Win or lose, let everyone in the building know you're trying.
The effort was there on Tuesday against Northwestern in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge but the shots weren't in a 65-53 loss to the Wildcats at the RBC Center.
The Wolfpack shot 11.1 percent from 3-point range and lost its first game of the young season after a 5-0 start. A 23-point night inside from forward Tracy Smith couldn't offset a 2-of-18 performance from 3.
"We were playing hard," Smith said.
Lowe agreed but the fourth-year coach also pointed out the obvious.
"We just didn't shoot the ball well," Lowe said. "I'm proud of the way our guys fought and hung in there but we couldn't hit enough shots in the second half."
State (5-1) started cold, hitting just three of its first 17 shots, and stayed that way, as the Wildcats, with their methodical Princeton offense and 1-3-1 zone, controlled the game's tempo.
After falling behind by as many as 14 in the first half, State made a second-half charge after a testy sequence, started by a technical foul on Northwestern guard Alex Marcotullio at 9:42.
Dennis Horner (11 points) hit the two free throws after the technical and State scored on the ensuing possession to briefly give the Wolfpack crowd of 11,913 hope.
Marcotullio got tangled with Gonzalez, introducing his elbow to Gonzalez's chin, which seem to ignite the Pack's point guard. After Horner's free throws, Gonzalez hit a behind-the-back pass to Smith under the basket for a layup.
Smith missed the accompanying free throw but a Horner steal sprung Smith a for a breakaway dunk at 8:55 and a 47-43 score, two points in a 10-point surge by Smith.
But Marcotullio responded by draining a 3 from the left corner -- and then holding the follow through for good measure -- to push Northwestern's margin back seven points.
Down 57-50, State had a chance to cut into Northwestern's lead on two straight trips but freshman Scott Wood and Gonzalez missed back-to-back 3s.
Then Michael Thompson's three-point play at 1:35 effectively ended any hope of a Wolfpack comeback. Thompson's 23 points gave the perennial Big Ten doormat a win over an ACC team to with resume-builders over a Big East (Notre Dame) and Big 12 (Iowa State) opponents in their surprising 6-1 start.
State had won its first four home games in the made-for-ESPN Challenge. Smith and Gonzalez didn't get much help in protecting the short-lived streak. Wood, the team's designated zone buster, missed all six of his 3-pointers and did not score. Sophomore guard Julius Mays missed all three of his 3s, as did C.J. Williams.
"We got good looks, we just didn't make them," said Gonzalez, who hit both of the team's 3-pointers. "Sometimes, you just can't hit a shot."
Tuesday qualified as one of those nights.
