Featured Sports

Second Half Performance Pushes the Wolfpack by the Orange

Landon Bost

RALEIGH, NC – A 14-3 run for the NC State Wolfpack (18-7, 6-6 ACC) early in second half gave them a cushion against the Syracuse Orange (17-8, 8-4 ACC) that led to a 73-58 victory. 

Impact Players 

Frank Howard, Orange senior guard: Howard shot 8-16 from the floor, and was tied as the game’s leading scorer, with 21 points. 

Torin Dorn, Wolfpack redshirt senior guard: Dorn shot poorly in the first, however, he had a strong second half. Dorn finished with 16 points, and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season .

Braxton Beverly, Wolfpack sophomore guard: Beverly finished with a career-high of 21 points. He also shot 9-9 from the free-throw line. 

Game Commentary 

  • Both teams sputtered out of the gates. The Wolfpack made their first basket with 16:57 left in first half, and the Orange made their first basket with 15:40 left.  
  • The Orange went cold midway through the first half. They were 1-10 from the field heading into the media timeout with 7:17 let. 
  • An ice-cold shooting stretch characterized the end of the first for the Wolfpack as they made zero field goals in the last 4:31. 
  • The Wolfpack lead the Orange 30-27 at halftime. To this point, both teams shot under 40% from the floor, the Wolfpack 37%, and the Orange 31%. Moreover, the Wolfpack shot 3-12, 25%, from the 3-point line while the Orange shot 2-12, 16.7%, from the 3-point line. 
  • Beverly scored nine points coming out a halftime to ignite a Wolfpack run. 
  • The Wolfpack led the Orange by 18 points heading into the media timeout with 7:50 left, however, the Orange went on a 7-0 run out of the timeout. Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts was forced to call a timeout with 6:43 left with a 61-50 lead. 
  • To close the game, the Wolfpack found gaps in the Orange’s 2-3 zone, knocked down open shots to maintain their lead.  
  • The Wolfpack finished the game with 42 rebounds versus the Orange’s 31.

Quick Hits 

  • Wolfpack sophomore guard Blake Harris, and graduate student Eric Lockett, missed tonight’s game: Harris to an illness, and Lockett for a personal matter. 
  • Wolfpack redshirt senior Torin Dorin grabbed eight rebounds, two offensive, and 6 defensive, in the first half. 
  • The Orange only had 2 assists heading into halftime. 
  • Beverly tied his career-high of 21 points with a pair of made free-throws with 5:28 left in the game.
  • Even with the victory, the Wolfpack finished with 20 turnovers.

What’s Next 

The Orange play the Louisville Cardinals (17-8, 8-4 ACC) at home on Wednesday Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. 

The Wolfpack travel down Tobacco Road to play the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils (22-2, 10-1 ACC) in a rivalry game this Saturday at 6 p.m.