Three in a row: Wolfpack can’t stop Cal, loses third straight ACC game
California’s Andrej Stojakovic missed two second-half free throws, his unluckiness leading to a free chicken sandwich for fans at Lenovo Center on Saturday.
According to an N.C. State band member, the promotion was pity chicken for having to watch the team lose again.
Cal (9-9, 2-5 ACC) handed the Wolfpack a 65-62 loss — its third straight — in the first regular-season meeting between the teams after the Pack was unable to force overtime.
N.C. State (9-9, 2-5 ACC) last played Cal in 2006 and came away with a 58-52 win. Three years prior, the Bears defeated the Wolfpack, 76-74. Both meetings took place in the NCAA Tournament.
The Pack had a chance to make ACC history, sort of, and snap its losing skid. Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to do that.
And if anyone expected a shooting show from the teams’ leading scorers they were sorely disappointed in the first half.
Marcus Hill entered the game leading the Wolfpack in scoring, topping the team with 13.2 points per game. Stojakovic entered the evening as the second-best scorer in the ACC, averaging 19.5 points per game.
The two went to their respective locker rooms after scoring a combined seven points. Hill took only three shot attempts, while the Pack’s defense held Stojakovic to four points, allowing him to shoot just 2 of 9 from the field.
As a team, N.C. State’s offense looked nothing like it did against Virginia Tech on Wednesday. The Pack scored 73 points, shooting 50% from the field and 42% from the perimeter. It added 17 assists on 27 made shots on its trip to Blacksburg.
The Wolfpack struggled to find a similar rhythm against Cal, the proof coming via the lack of movement. N.C. State went to the halftime locker room trailing, 31-29, with two assists.
The hoop opened up in the second half, at least from inside the arc, which allowed N.C. State to stay competitive. Instead, its defense struggled to maintain its intensity for all 40 minutes. It had stretches of multiple stops, even holding the Golden Bears scoreless for over three minutes midway through the second period.
Hill also came out of the locker room seemingly more determined to get to the hole. He recorded three baskets in the first four minutes of the second half, more than doubling his offensive output from the opening period. He finished with 13 points.
Jayden Taylor led the Wolfpack with 18 points and five rebounds.
Stojakovic also added to his scoring after the break, contributing 10, but he certainly didn’t put up the numbers Cal is used to.
Defensively, the Wolfpack played well enough to win and held the Golden Bears 10 points under their typical game score, but small mistakes led to yet another heartbreaking loss.
Here are three takeaways from N.C. State’s loss at home.
Feast and famine from the arc
When people refer to the law of averages in sports, it almost always applies to the teams themselves. For example, if a team shot exceptionally well in the first half, its efficiency would cool off in the second. On Saturday, it applied to the combined 3-point shooting.
N.C. State’s 3-point defense has risen steadily over the last several weeks since the beginning of the new year and is allowing teams to score more than 30% from the perimeter. Prior to Jan. 1, it was holding teams under 30%. In fact, it entered the Virginia game leading the ACC in 3-point defense, holding teams to 28.5%.
Cal took advantage of its hot shooting and a weakened Wolfpack defense, shooting 6 of 16 from long range.
N.C. State did not get as lucky. The Pack shot 1 of 10 from 3, the only triple taking place in the first half. Breon Pass, one of the team’s most efficient 3 shooters, missed the game-tying bucket. The Wolfpack’s inability to find the 3 ball made things far more difficult to get things going on offense.
So, the law of averages seemed to apply, just not the way the Wolfpack would’ve wanted.
Rebounding woes continue
Rebounding hasn’t been either team’s strength this year, neither program averaging more than 23 boards per game.
That doesn’t show a complete picture, though. Cal is not particularly effective on the defensive glass, but its offensive rebounding is one of the best in the league. The Golden Bears entered the game ranked No. 2 in the ACC with 12.8 offensive boards per game.
Meanwhile, N.C. State entered the game ranked No. 333 in the nation and last in the ACC for defensive rebounding per game (22).
At the break, Cal held a slim 19-18 overall rebounding margin, with five offensive rebounds. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, had 11 on the defensive glass and seven on offense. Both teams recorded six second-chance points.
The Pack continued that trend in the second half, as the Bears dominated the glass. At the under-12 second-half timeout, Cal had eight rebounds — four on each end — while N.C. State had just two.
The Wolfpack finished with 31 rebounds to Cal’s 38.
At some point, the Wolfpack must figure this out, because it’s costing games.
BHH returns to the rotation
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield made his first appearance for the Wolfpack since injuring his shoulder against Notre Dame on Jan. 8. He entered the game following the under-16 first-half media timeout and made an immediate impact.
Huntley-Hatfield recorded a decisive block against Stojakovic before adding a steal. Taylor recorded a mid-range jumper off a pick from the Wolfpack big man.
Huntley-Hatfield contributed three points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.
This story was originally published January 18, 2025 at 8:40 PM.
