NC State Falls Shorts Against Virginia

CHARLOTTE, NC  – North Carolina State fell to top-seeded Virginia 76-56 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday. Markell Johnson and D.J. Funderburk led the Pack in scoring with 13 points and 12 points respectively.

NC State drops to 22-11 on the season and Virginia improves to 29-2.

The Cavaliers used a 14-1 second-half run to rebuild a double-digit lead (49-37), and the Pack would get no closer than nine down the stretch. Virginia took advantage of six Pack turnovers in the second half to collect 11 points on the offensive end.

NC State faced an early 10-point deficit after Virginia knocked down six shots in a row from the field to build up a 16-6 lead. The Pack went on to respond by knocking down seven consecutive shots from the floor, including 12 unanswered points, to take a 22-18 lead.

The Cavaliers shot 6-of-9 from the field in the first 6:30 of the game, but the Pack held them to just 4-of-15 for the remainder of the first half. NC State also ran into shooting struggles to close out the half, as the Wolfpack converted on just two shots from the field in the final 9:27 of the first half to take a 29-27 lead into the break.

The teams traded baskets for the first few minutes of the second half, but Virginia regained the lead after Jack Salt converted an old fashioned three-point play to put the Cavaliers up 35-34 with 15:39 left in the game, its first lead since the 10:17 mark in the first half.

Kyle Guy led all scorers with 29 points, including 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Jack Salt (18 pts.) and De’Andre Hunter (16 pts.) rounded out double-digit scoring for the Cavaliers.

NC State awaits the release of the 2019 NCAA Tournament bracket, which will be announced on CBS on Sunday, March 17 at 6 p.m.