GREENSBORO — N.C. State beat Virginia at its own game on Friday at the ACC tournament.
The Wolfpack's defense, for the second straight day, stymied one of the top scorers in the ACC, this time in a 75-56 win over Virginia. N.C. State (24-9) will play top-seeded Miami on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the semifinals.
The Wolfpack held Virginia's Joe Harris to 13 points and got plenty of offense, and fight, from its veterans.
Senior guard Scott Wood scored 23 points, nine coming in a flurry of 3-pointers early in the second half to torment one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Junior forward C.J. Leslie added 17 points and 11 rebounds and senior forward Richard Howell added 12 rebounds, despite playing with a thigh injury.
In Thursday's first-round win over Virginia Tech, N.C. State limited Erick Green to 15 points in a 80-63 win over the Hokies.
Lorenzo Brown did most of the work against Green, it was Wood's turn on Friday to matchup with Harris.
Harris torched N.C. State for 20 points in January, a 58-55 Virginia win. Harris, who's third in the ACC in scoring, was 4 of 13 on Friday and just 2 of 9 from 3-point range.
Wood, conversely, made 7 of 12 of his 3-pointers, including three in 84-second span to push N.C. State's nine-point halftime lead to 44-25.
Forward Akil Mitchell led Virginia with 19 points and eight rebounds but the Cavaliers finished the game 5 of 20 from the 3-point line.
The loss deals a blow to the NCAA tournament hopes of Virginia (21-11).
Comments
defense
Sat, 03/16/2013 - 14:34 — SurferState can be very good, but Wood and Lewis remain defensive liabilities.
Random observations.
Sat, 03/16/2013 - 10:29 — JPDOhio1. Richard Howell is a man. How in the world could anyone on the team not give everything they have when this guy is doing what he does on one leg? Hopefully, whatever treatment he got overnight will allow him to be close to 100% today. At least it wasn't a structural problem with an ankle or knee.
2. Scott Wood is playing the best hoops of his college career. His movement without the ball is better than ever and he continues to do other things to help the team that are often overlooked.
3. CJ Leslie's energy and commitment was outstanding. If he brought that level of intensity every night, he would be the ACC's POY. For now, I just want to see it continue so that the Pack's season can be extended as long as possible.
4. TJ Warren has stepped up beautifully, although he still has a few lapses of immaturity here and there. I can accept the lapses though, because what he is bringing now on offense and on the boards is way more positive.
5. Tyler Lewis is steady as it goes. I love his demeanor. A good 15 minutes each game from him will go a long way in helping the Pack move on.
6. Rodney still seems to be suffering from a crisis of confidence. When he settles down and plays within himself, he is quite good. It is hard to tone it down in a tournament setting like this, but he has to find a way to do just that.
7. And, finally, there is Lorenzo, who is quietly having an outstanding tournament. It seems weird to use the word "quietly" in this case, but I think it is appropriate. He has been terrific in every aspect of his game. His offense is a little down, but it doesn't matter with the firepower he has around him.
All in all, this is the team we expected to see all year. Keep it going guys and get some revenge on the 'Canes. It's is right there in your grasp.
Go Pack!
Come together
Sat, 03/16/2013 - 09:09 — shharrisIs what this team needed. Effort is contagious. We've all seen one player after another lead this team to victory. But the real secret is teamwork, especially on defense. As hard as Brown and Wood worked the last two games, we saw the way guys switched and covered. We beat two teams by "controlling" the two leading scorers in the ACC. It gets tougher when Miami has four who can score. Richard's health is key. Go Pack!
I want to praise CJ for his effort and results. Being relegated to 3rd team ACC may have provided the motivation he needed.
I also want to say, from my limited vantage point, TJ's technical was bovine excrement. Calls like that at critical times have cost games in the past. steve'73
Impressive win Pack!
Fri, 03/15/2013 - 19:08 — PackFanMan.....scoring 75 pts. against that defense ain't easy. Containing Joe Harris was key and they got it done. Good overall "D" and the rebounding effort was there; Wood was on fire and they didn't let up when they got a nice lead.
.....play as hard tomorrow and a win will likely be the result. Hope the big guy is going to be 100% and CJL stays focused.