NC State rolls over BC in ACC mismatch, 92-62
Ranked opponents from the ACC have found Conte Forum an inconvenient stopover on the tour this season.
Boston College dispatched No. 20 Virginia Tech and No. 20 Clemson earlier in the campaign and missed last second shot in a one-point loss to No. 16 Duke on Jan. 7. But the Eagles had no formula for success against No. 22 NC State in a 92-62 matinee mismatch on Saturday at Conte.
“They were a buzzsaw and we weren’t at the level we needed to play,” said BC coach Earl Grant. “But a lot of that goes to NC State, they played a really good game and shot the ball well.”
The Wolfpack shot a stellar 55.2 percent from the floor with 15 made 3-point shots and had four players in double figures led by guards Jarkel Joiner (26) and Terquavion Smith (17).
BC center Quintain Post led the Eagles with 20 points while NC State power forward D.J. Burns netted 18 with 10 rebounds. The Pack forced 17 BC turnovers that were converted into 25 points.
“When you are dealing with a lot of pressure your decision making has to be better,” said Grant. “We had 17 turnovers and we never turn the ball over at that clip.”
The Eagles’ odds of winning a third contest against a ranked ACC opponent appeared compromised from the start with combo guard
Jaeden Zackery hobbled by a lower leg injury. Zackery participated in warmups wearing a leg wrap. He played 21 minutes and 34 seconds, and scored 10 points off the bench.
“He wasn’t able to practice a lot but we wanted to give him a shot at playing,” said Grant. “He came off the bench and I thought he gave us a good lift.”
Smith dominated from the opening tap, putting the Pack up 10-5 by himself on consecutive floaters in the lane and two shots from downtown. Post was equally effective in the paint by scoring eight points, but the Eagles were down 17-11 going into the first media timeout.
Zackery joined the fray following the timeout and scored on a putback with 11:17 to play. But NC State continued to build its lead when Burns scored six straight to take a 23-13 lead before the second timeout.
The Eagles got sloppy with the basketball and the Pack took advantage, going up 33-22 on a Joiner pullup jumper with 5:00 to play. Joiner netted back-to-back treys in the closing minutes to put NC State ahead 44-32 at the half.
“You have to credit the talent they have and the confidence they play with,” said Grant. “It was disappointing because we had a great crowd, our fans were unbelievable.”
NC State opened the second half with a 13-4 run to take a 57-36 lead with 16:01 to play. Joiner punctuated the surge with a 3-point shot for the top key, his second long ball of the run.
Missed open shots and persistent turnovers prevented BC from making inroads on NC State’s doubledigit lead. Post made a play on the baseline and followed
with a jump hook, but BC trailed by 20 going in to the second media timeout. The Wolfpack were relentless at both ends for the remainder of the game.