Wolfpack bounces back from tough loss

RALEIGH -- The last-second loss to Florida was bad, but N.C. State didn't let one bad loss turn into another.

Three days after losing by a 75-foot shot at the buzzer, the Wolfpack got back to work Wednesday night with a workmanlike 87-70 victory over Holy Cross.

Active team defense (11 steals and 11 blocks) and balanced scoring with five players in double figures helped the Pack recover from Sunday's stunning loss.

"We were still hung over from [the Florida loss] in the first half," guard Julius Mays said, "but we finished strong."

After slogging through the first 20 minutes, for a 33-31 halftime lead, the Pack (11-4) scored 16 of the first 18 points of the second half to cruise past the Crusaders (3-12).

Mays came off the bench to score 15 points and support usual stars Tracy Smith (19 points) and Dennis Horner (18).

Guards Farnold Degand (15) and Scott Wood (10) helped the Pack go 10-of-23 from 3-point range and shoot 51.6 percent (33-of-64) from the field.

The 3-pointer kept the Crusaders in the game (10-of-17), but they couldn't buy a 2-pointer (11-of-40), which was a function of State's improved defense.

"Our defense was really solid," State coach Sidney Lowe said. "I thought that was really the key, our defense."

Mays led State with four steals, and Horner had four blocks and Smith added three. The Pack forced 17 turnovers and held the Crusaders to 36.8 percent shooting (21-of-57).

Mays had his best game since he scored 16 in the season-opener. The sophomore had scored only four points in the previous three games combined.

"I kept getting shots, and they kept going in," said Mays, who made three of his six shots from 3-point range. "I was feeling good."

One shot Mays couldn't hit was the one Florida's Chandler Parsons hit at the buzzer on Sunday. The State players took turns in the pregame shootaround trying to replicate Parsons' buzzer-beater.

"We were like, 'How did this dude make that shot?' " Mays said.

Lowe was happy to put the tough Florida loss behind his team, with 15 of the next 16 games against ACC opponents.

"We all know that was a tough ball game for all of us but you have to move on," Lowe said. "We've got this one under our belts, and hopefully we can move forward from here."

The Pack could look different when ACC plays picks back up on Saturday against Virginia. Mays played 28 minutes on Wednesday, at the expense of point guard Javier Gonzalez, who played only 12.

"I'm not in the business to try to get guys minutes," Lowe said. "Julius was playing well, and the team was going well. And Javi was fine; he cheered for Julius. He may have enjoyed having the time off."

State got 35 points from its bench, including a spirit-breaking dunk by Josh Davis early in the second half. Davis' two-handed slam, after two good passes by Degand and Jordan Vandenberg, extended State's lead to 49-34 and eliminated any threat of miracle buzzer-beater.

"We don't want to have something like that to happen to us again," Horner said. "We came back strong, and that's a good sign."

N.C. State 87, Holy Cross 70

Three-point goals: 10-17, .588 (Brown 4-6, Beinert 3-5, Evans 1-1, May 1-2, Stevens 1-3). Team rebounds: 4. Blocked shots: 2 (Jones, Cavataio). Turnovers: 17 (Beinert 6, Evans 3, Goens 2, May, Cavataio, Stevens, Brown, Keister). Steals: 3 (Keister, Stevens, Cavataio). Technical fouls: none.

Three-point goals: 10-23, .435 (Mays 3-6, Degand 2-3, Horner 2-4, Wood 2-8, Gonzalez 1-1, Williams 0-1). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 11 (Horner 4, T.Smith 3, Williams 2, Wood, Degand). Turnovers: 8 (Mays 2, Horner 2, Degand 2, Vandenberg, T.Smith). Steals: 11 (Mays 4, Degand 2, Davis, Wood, Gonzalez, Horner, T.Smith). T echnical fouls: none.

Att.-10,205. Officials-Tim Kelly, Mike Kitts, Ray Perone.