RALEIGH -- Stitched, glued and smeared with Vaseline, N.C. State's Dennis Horner got the "Rocky" treatment on senior day for a cut above his right eye he picked up in the second half of the Wolfpack's regular-season basketball finale.
Knocked down early in the second half, Horner returned to knock out Boston College in a 66-54 Wolfpack victory on Sunday at the RBC Center.
Horner's 11 points in a decisive 19-5 run lifted the Wolfpack (17-14) to its third win in four games and a memorable send-off for the senior forward.
"Any victory would have been great way to go out, but to do it that way was all the better," said Horner, who finished with 14 points.
A hard foul by BC's Josh Southern sent Horner crashing to the floor at 18:13 in the second half. The corner of Horner's right eyebrow bore the brunt of the blow, and he need five stitches to close it up.
"I heard [the thud] and saw the blood," Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said. "I didn't know if he was coming back or not. It definitely was a scary moment."
Junior Tracy Smith, who led N.C. State with 19 points, had no doubt about Horner's return.
"I knew he would be OK," Smith said. "He came back and hit some big shots for us."
Horner came back and led State's comeback. His three-point play at 6:50, to cut BC's lead to 47-46, started one of the best segments State has put together this season.
C.J. Williams, who has come on at the end of the season, finished a fast break with a dunk over Southern, the player who hammered Horner. Horner's 3-pointer from the left wing and Smith's spinning post move and three-point play showed the Wolfpack's halfcourt set at its brightest.
By the time Horner drained a second 3, to put State up 62-52 at 2:14, he outstretched his arms and motioned to the spirited crowd of 15,104 to celebrate.
"I didn't want to go out on a loss," Horner said.
With as many turnovers (10) as field goals in the first half, that seemed like a distinct possibility, despite State's 24-23 lead at the break. BC led 40-35 and 47-43 in the second half before State made its run.
The Pack started sluggishly, to the point that Lowe made wholesale substitutions and dug deep on the bench for sophomore reserve Johnny Thomas, who played more minutes Sunday (17) than he had over the course of the entire season (16).
Thomas (six rebounds), Richard Howell (five assists) and Williams (14 points) gave the Pack a lift and a win for the third time in four games.
At 5-11, State finished the ACC season tied for ninth but is the No. 11 seed in the ACC Tournament. State will face Clemson in the first round on Thursday.
The strong finish, and avoiding the No. 12 seed, was a goal after the Pack started 3-10 in the ACC.
"We talked about it, and we didn't want to finish last," Smith said. "We've stepped it up."
To Lowe, the difference between the start of the season and the end is mental.
"They've started to figure out that this is how we have to play if we want give ourselves a chance," Lowe said.
Horner took advantage of his second chance on Sunday. He's hoping the team will do the same in Greensboro.
"When we're on, we can play with anybody," Horner said.
