N.C. State picks up big road win at Syracuse
Everything was going in favor of Syracuse. Then, out of the blue, N.C. State decided to do something about it.
The Wolfpack trailed late in the second half on the road against the Orange, and it seemed like one of those things that always seems to happen to N.C. State was going to happen again. This time, though, the Wolfpack had a counter punch to the Syracuse haymaker in the form of junior Devon Daniels, who sparked the comeback 79-74 win.
After the Orange went up six, 68-62, with 6:16 remaining, N.C. State went on a tear. The Wolfpack (16-8, 7-6) outscored Syracuse 7-0 over the next two minutes, taking a one-point lead with 4:16 remaining after a floater in the lane from Devon Daniels. Daniels said the final stretch, down on the road, able to battle back, showed the team’s character.
“We are believing more and more what this team can do,” Daniels said after scoring a team-high 23 points. “When things got tough and when it came down to the end we didn’t worry. We stayed right where we needed to stay and got the win.”
Moments earlier Daniels knocked down a three from the left wing that seemed to suck the life out of the Carrier Dome, which came alive when it looked like the Orange were in complete control just minutes earlier.
Then some breaks went N.C. State’s way. Syracuse turned the ball over and C.J. Bryce was fouled on the breakaway, knocking down a pair of free throws, putting the Wolfpack up three. After a pair of free throws by Joseph Girard III, Markell Johnson hit a three, putting State in the driver’s seat.
Bryce all but sealed it when he answered with a three of his own, pushing the lead to seven with 2:32 remaining.
Kevin Keatts, said the team faced plenty of adversity, but found a way to get it down.
“We were in foul trouble, they (Syracuse) made some big shots at the end,” Keatts said. “We talked about getting shots and our defense created some opportunities for our offense. I thought our guys played like veterans down the stretch.”
Three of his seniors came up big when it counted the most. Johnson got a big steal, Daniels got some huge baskets and Bryce (19 points) closed the game out with a big three, his fourth, to push the lead to seven.
“They made a run in the second half and we kept our composure,” Bryce said. “We stayed together as a team and it paid off for us in the end.”
Despite their bigs being in foul trouble, N.C. State shot well enough in the first half to take a four-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
Manny Bates (3) and D.J. Funderburk (2) watched more than they played in the opening 20 minutes, but the Wolfpack shot 42.9 percent from three and got a combined 27 points from wings C.J. Bryce, Devin Daniels and Jericole Hellems. The trio took advantage of the looks given to them by the Syracuse zone.
Bryce was 3 of 4 from three in the first half, while Hellems made his living from inside the foul line.
Funderburk picked up his second foul at the 9:58 mark and Bates went to the bench with his third with 3:05 remaining in the first half. In the final 3:05 though, N.C. State relied on the long ball and saw results. Pat Andree came off the bench to hit a triple, tying the game at 26. Bryce then knocked down one from deep to put the Wolfpack up by one, 29-28. The Orange led by four late in the half, but N.C. State closed out strong, getting five in a row from Hellems and four straight from Daniels. Syracuse missed three in a row to end the half.
Freshman Joseph Girard III scored 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, but was held scoreless in the final five minutes, opening the door for a late run by the Wolfpack.
N.C. State led by as many as nine (20-11) in the first half, but the Orange shot themselves back in the game, led by Girard and forward Marek Dolezaj. Girard finished with a career-high 30 points, but struggled from three.
Keatts senior duo of Johnson and Bryce, along with Daniels, a junior, combined for 50 points.
“We’re getting to the point, especially in this game,” Keatts said, “Where we matured, and we stuck together even though we had some adversity. I didn’t think we handled the press particularly well at the end, with that being said, we finished the game. Didn’t make our free throws down the stretch, but we relied on our defense to finish the game.”
AND ONE
N.C. State forced two turnovers in the final 56 seconds while nursing a four-point lead.
PERSONAL FOUL
With 48.7 seconds remaining and a four-point lead, N.C. State was called for a double lane violation while Devon Daniels was at the line.
ICYMI
Because of construction going on at the Carrier Dome, the Wolfpack didn’t get to practice at the arena, nor do a shootaround the morning of the game. Because of that, Keatts admitted he was a little concerned about how his team would shoot. They responded by making 11 3-pointers, just two short of their season high.
MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS
3-18: Girard and Buddy Boeheim, the two best shooters for Syracuse, went a combined 3 of 18 from three. Girard, the all-time leading prep scorer in New York, went 1-10.
19: That seems to be the magic number for N.C. State. Coming into the contest, the Wolfpack averaged 19.5 turnovers in the previous two games against Syracuse, both wins by N.C. State. The Pack had exactly 19 turnovers on Tuesday, and right on brand, picked up the win.
44: N.C. State shot 44 percent from three, the second consecutive game the team has shot at least 40 percent from three.
23: Number of points scored by Daniels, tying a season high.
4: Number of made 3s by C.J. Bryce, a season high.
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 9:19 PM.
