
Powell's Putback Powers Pack Past Tigers, 80-79
1/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan 15, 2002
Box Score | Listen to Coach Sendek's Postgame Comments
By Tony Haynes
Clemson, S.C. -- Arms raised in triumph, NC State's basketball players walked off the Littlejohn Coliseum floor in joyous celebration. How different the scene was compared to the last three trips to Clemson, trips that had resulted in ugly defeats to the Tigers.
But this game and this result were quite different. It ended with freshman center Josh Powell tipping in an Anthony Grundy miss with just 2.1 seconds remaining to give the Pack a pulsating 80-79 win over the Tigers. In winning its fourth road game this season, NC State (13-4, 3-2) overcame unconscious shooting by Clemson most of the night. It also wiped out a five-point deficit with 1:57 to play.
"That was a great college basketball game that nobody deserved to lose," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "It was a hard-fought game during which we had no answer for Clemson on defense. I was proud of our kids for being poised enough to win the game."
Powell's tip won it, but sophomore guard Scooter Sherrill, who bounced off the bench to score a career-high 18 points, gave NC State life by burying his fifth three pointer of the night on an underneath out of bounds feed from Anthony Grundy to bring the Pack within two at 77-75 with 1:24 remaining.
"I was supposed to pop out to the top of the key area but I saw McKnight had his back turned so I went to the corner," Sherrill said. "It was a great pass by Anthony. I didn't think he saw me, but he found me and I just had to knock it down."
Following a Clemson miss and two timeouts, Grundy hit a twisting left-handed layup while being fouled to draw NC State even. The senior guard, who led the Pack with 22 points, then made it 78-77 by knocking down the free throw with 34 seconds left. On the play, Clemson came out in a man-to-man defense after playing zone most of the night.
"The truth of the matter is I suggested that we run one of our actions and Archie came back and suggested something else," Sendek said. "His suggestion is what we went with. We ran an action that Anthony is very good at and it resulted in the three-point play for us."
But it was far from over. Grundy's old fashioned three-point play was answered by Clemson guard Tony Stockman, whose double-clutching jumper on the other end put the Tigers back in front 79-78 with 10 seconds showing on the clock. Out of time-outs, the Wolfpack rushed the ball up the floor and got it to Grundy, who tried a tough 12-foot leaner from the right side. The ball hit glass and rim before settling into the soft hands of Powell, who tipped it gently back into the basket.
Said Powell: "When Anthony pump faked and then took the shot, my thought was to get to the rim, tip it in and get back on defense."
When Stockman's desperation 90-foot heave hit the glass as the buzzer sounded, NC State commenced its postgame celebration.
This contest was so unlike previous Clemson--NC State battles in Death Valley, which often evolved into ugly, physical defensive battles. But on Tuesday night, there were very few defensive highlights. Facing a 2-3 zone most of the night, the Wolfpack drilled 15 three-pointers. During one stretch in the first half, the Pack knocked down eight consecutive threes and 12 baskets in a row overall. The torrid shooting sparked a stunning 19-2 run to put NC State in front 26-17.
But if the Wolfpack's basket looked as big as the Atlantic Ocean, Clemson's bucket must have appeared to be larger than the Pacific. The Tigers knocked down a staggering 12-of-16 shots in the opening half for 75 percent. Still, they trailed 44-33 at the break because of 13 turnovers and NC State's three-point marksmanship against the zone.
And Clemson didn't cool off after intermission, making 10 of its first 13 to grab a 60-59 lead with just over 10 minutes to play. Point guard Edward Scott (10 points, 13 assists) scored on drives, Jamar McKnight (18 points) and Stockman (18 points) made jumpers, Chris Hobbs (16 points) and Ray Henderson (11 points, 10 rebounds) scored in the post. The Tigers' shooting and offensive execution often made NC State look totally helpless on the defensive end.
"I'm going to take responsibility for them shooting such an unbelievable percentage," Sendek said. "Obviously, they were on tonight but we can only control the aspect that's under our roof and get back to work on our defensive fundamentals."
But on a night when its defense wasn't working, the Wolfpack found a way to get it done on the offensive end of the court. It was certainly a far cry from the Pack's last two visits to Clemson, which resulted in sub-30 percent shooting.
Grundy, who went 9-14 from the floor, was replaced in the starting line-up by Archie Miller (10 points). Sendek also inserted freshman Ilian Evtimov (11 points) in favor of Marcus Melvin, who didn't scored in Sunday night's 19-point loss to Duke.
For most of the game, Clemson coach Larry Shyatt went with the zone, hoping the Wolfpack would repeat its cold shooting performances the last two years.
"They made as many threes against the zone as they did against the man," Shyatt said. "We thought by playing zone the game would play slower to our advantage."
Instead, the zone worked to the advantage of players like Sherrill, who had a field day shooting long-range bombs.
"Anytime you're a shooter and you're playing against a zone, you're eyes get real big," said Sherrill, who was 5-of-7 from the arc. "Archie said he could have shot about 30 times tonight, but he didn't. They packed it in and we just needed to knock down shots."
Overall, NC State shot 49.1 percent (28-57) from the floor, while Clemson was 30-49 for 61.2 percent. The Tigers dominated the boards, outrebounding the Wolfpack 32-20.