NC State
Georgia Tech
Wolfpack Takes Down No. 11 Georgia Tech, 76-72
1/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan 24, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.--No way. That would be the reaction of a lot of people upon hearing the news that NC State had beaten one of the best college basketball teams in the country on a day when its best player, Julius Hodge, had scored just two points. No way the Wolfpack could shoot 35.4 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point range and still beat 11th ranked Georgia Tech. Believe it! With seniors Marcus Melvin and Scooter Sherrill putting up 18 points apiece, the Wolfpack did in fact overcome those major obstacles to down the Yellow Jackets, 76-72. The win, State's 10th straight this season at the RBC Center, gave the Wolfpack (11-4, 4-1) sole possession of second place in the ACC standings.
It happened because NC State, led by Ilian Evtimov's career-high 14 rebounds and Melvin's 12, was tenacious on the glass. Not known for its rebounding prowess, the Wolfpack scored 24 second chance points off of 21 offensive rebounds, nine of which came from Melvin. The Pack also prevailed because it kept Georgia Tech's lethal fast break at bay most of the day by turning the ball over only 12 times against a quick-strike pressing team that was forcing more than 18 per game.
"Marcus Melvin and Scooter Sherrill were really outstanding for us in all respects," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "I thought both of them played extremely hard and really set the tone for our team."
Melvin, Sherrill and others hung tough, even when the Yellow Jackets whittled what was a 16-point lead down to just two with a 16-2 run midway through the second half. When Melvin hit one of two free throws with 15:18 left, the Wolfpack owned a 52-36 lead and had the boisterous crowd of 16,762 buzzing.
But then, almost without warning, the momentum changed. Tech (14-3,3-2) started its charge back when Marvin Lewis swished a 3-pointer to make it an 11-point game. Moments later, Hodge was involved in wild play that really fueled the Yellow Jackets' comeback. After missing a layup that would have given NC State a 56-45 advantage, Hodge was called for an intentional foul when he grabbed Isma'il Muhammid's foot on the ensuing scramble for the loose ball. Not only did the foul send Muhammid to the free throw line and give Tech possession of the ball, it also sent Hodge to the bench with four fouls with 12:00 showing on the clock.
After Muhammid knocked down both free throws, guard Will Bynum nailed a jumper that left the Jackets down by only five at 54-49. Bynum, who scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, then added a free throw and a driving bucket to trim State's lead to 54-52 with 9:57 left.
That's when Sendek called a 30-second timeout that proved to be both crucial and productive.
"Our guys really didn't flinch," Sendek said. "We weren't happy with the relinquishment of the lead; it wasn't something that we said in the huddle was ok. But there was no unraveling, there was no panic. It was `ok, we can't change what just happened. Here's what needs to be done right now.' I think that mindset allowed us to go back out and weather the storm."
During the Georgia Tech run, NC State missed 10 straight shots, many of which went halfway down and spun back out. Coming out of the timeout, Sherrill ended that streak with a strong finish underneath off of a fancy feed from Evtimov. A few possessions later, NC State pushed its lead back out to 61-54 on a 3-pointer by Levi Watkins that came after an offensive rebound.
But Tech kept coming by putting the ball in the hands of Jack and Bynum, who relentlessly attacked the NC State defense off the dribble. Hodge, whe re-entered the line-up with 5:59 left, went back to the bench after picking up his fifth foul with 1:53 remaining. Clarence Moore then hit one of two free throws to leave the Yellow Jackets down 67-64 with 1:53 showing on the clock.
Sherrill then stepped up and nailed the biggest shot of the game, a 3 from the left wing that made it 70-64 with 1:18 left. From there, NC State would ice it by hitting 6-of-8 from the free throw line, including two big ones by Evtimov with seven seconds left that finally put Georgia Tech away.
"Coming into the game we had been a good rebounding team, but they made quite a few hustle plays," said Yellow Jackets' coach Paul Hewitt. "In the first half, I thought the initial defense was good. But the possession doesn't end until you get ball. They had 14 offensive rebounds in the first half. Give them credit. They played their tails off today."
Especially Melvin, who corralled eight offensive rebounds in the first half when the Pack was missing 16 of 23 3-point shots. Melvin's grit and all-out hustle epitomized the Wolfpack's mindset, a tenacity that was built during two ultra-intense practice sessions that came in the aftermath of Tuesday's disappointing overtime loss at Boston College.
"Everybody on our team has to get tougher," said Melvin, who also had 12 rebounds at Boston College. "It's been shown in different ways. You could see the aggressiveness that was out there on the court; that's where it really needs to be. We were doing a good job of being aggressive throughout the game. We just need to stick with it and everything will fall into place."
They did fall into place on a day when everything certainly didn't go as well as hoped. Hodge, who was the league's top scorer coming in (18.9 ppg.), missed all six of his field goal attempts. His only points came on a pair of free throws in the first half.
"I don't remember the last time that he was held to two points," Sendek said. "To his credit, despite of battling foul trouble and having an early exit to the game, I thought he was really good with his teammates and he stayed in the game. After the game, he was just elated that we won the game. Those are the important things that you look at from a character standpoint when you're coaching and leading young men."
Hodge, who did virtually everything down the stretch at Boston College, had to rely on his teammates to pull him through on Saturday. Needless to say, they came up big on a night when the Pack made just 12-of-42 from 3-point range.
Evtimov was also sensational, scoring 11 points and dishing out 6 assists to go along with his career day on the boards.
Joining Bynum in double figures for Georgia Tech were Jack (15 points), B.J. Elder (14) and center Luke Schenscher (10). For the game, the Yellow Jackets made 24-of-54 shots for 44.4 percent.
The win was NC State's third in the last four games over Tech and its 8th straight over the Jackets in Raleigh.
