Wolfpack further imperils UNC’s NCAA hopes
Joiner’s clutch play sparks crowd into a frenzy
RALEIGH, N.C. — DJ Burns Jr. knew North Carolina State teammate Jarkel Joiner was ready for a big moment.
“He came out of a timeout, he looked me dead in my face and he said, ‘Set me some ball screens, I’m hot,’” Burns said.
Joiner backed it up, too.
The graduate transfer took over for No. 23 N.C. State during a critical second-half stretch, matching his season high with 29 points to lead the Wolfpack past rival North Carolina 77-69 Sunday.
Joiner had 20 of his points after the break for the Wolfpack (21-7, 11-6 Atlantic Coast Conference). That included an impressive flurry in a tight game that finally gave N.C. State some breathing room.
“Just confidence, man,” Joiner said of his big second half. “My teammates and my coaches trust in me.”
Joiner’s arrival from the University of Mississippi has been a critical piece to Kevin Keatts’ sixth-season surge, providing scoring and heady veteran play for a team needing an infusion of experience. It’s why N.C. State (21-7, 11-6) has bounced back from last year’s 21-loss season and took Round 2 with the Tar Heels (16-11, 8-8) after losing last month’s meeting in Chapel Hill — the Wolfpack’s 36th defeat in its last 41 games against UNC.
“It’s tough in this league when you don’t have a quarterback, when you don’t have a point guard,” Keatts said. “And he makes us better.”
The Tar Heels didn’t have an answer for him, with Joiner making 8 of 11 shots after the break. That included a huge transition 3-pointer from right in front of the Wolfpack bench — which pushed N.C. State to a 67-60 lead with 4:47 left, the largest lead by either team to that point.
He followed a bit later with a tough stepback jumper against Caleb Love that pushed the lead to nine, capping a 12-1 burst that had given the Wolfpack control and turned PNC Arena into a screaming frenzy of unleashed rivalry spite from the Wolfpack crowd.
Burns added 14 of his 18 points after halftime for N.C. State, which shot 64.5% in the second half and had just three turnovers for the game.
Love scored 20 points to lead UNC, while Armando Bacot had 16 points and 14 rebounds. But the Tar Heels continued a February crash that has put their NCAA Tournament chances in growing jeopardy.
“They got hot, Joiner got hot, and it kind of erupted the crowd,” Love said. “Playing in a place like this, it’s tough. you’ve got to execute at the highest level and we didn’t do that.”
The Tar Heels have gone from the preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 to scrapping for an NCAA bid. They entered Sunday with an 0-8 record in Quadrant 1 games, the top tier on a postseason résumé. The game ended with Wolfpack fans chanting at them in the final seconds: “NIT! NIT!”
“Coach (Hubert) Davis said he’s not giving up on us and we’re going to continue to battle,” said R.J. Davis, who had seven points on 2-for-13 shooting. “I mean, that’s the only thing you can do right now.”