North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Senior Trio Helps Wolfpack Survive Cavalier Scare
2/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2006
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH -- The difference between NC State's loss last week at the RBC Center to Seton Hall and Wednesday night's 66-64 victory over Virginia wasn't so much a huge improvement in effort or execution.
It was more a matter of three seniors, who were embarrassed by their collective inability to step forward to change things around against the Pirates, making the plays Herb Sendek's team needed to stave off the Cavaliers' upset bid.
The game wasn't one of the best performances of the season, with the Wolfpack giving up a 10-point lead in the second half and finding itself down by four points with three and a half minutes to play.
The Cavaliers made good use of their productive guards and dominated the Wolfpack in rebounding. But the senior trio of Ilian Evtimov, Tony Bethel and Cameron Bennerman also took it upon themselves to make plays down the stretch that enabled the Wolfpack to eke out an important win.
Sendek's team (17-4 overall, 6-2 ACC) is now solidly in second place in the league standings, heading into Sunday afternoon's game against third-place Maryland, which plays at North Carolina Thursday night. Somewhat quietly, the Wolfpack has also beaten three teams it lost to in the first half of league play last year: Virginia, Miami and Wake Forest.
"This win kind of separates us from the pack a little bit," Bethel said. "It's a big win."
One that might well have slipped away had Bethel not continued his torrid outside shooting. He made four of his nine 3-point attempts and has now made 28 of his last 53 shots from beyond the arc. He has the best 3-point shooting percentage of any player in the ACC in league games.
"Tony is really having a terrific year," Sendek said.
In the last three minutes, however, it was Bennerman and Evtimov that made the plays that put the Wolfpack over the top. Evtimov, playing with a bruised hip he suffered in the first few minutes of the game, made several critical plays, including a 3-pointer that tied the game with 2:08 remaining.
He also called a time out when teammate Engin Atsur scrambled to grab a loose ball, preventing a tie-up on the floor. That was critical just a few seconds later when there was a tie-up that gave the Wolfpack the ball.
Evtimov also dished out passes on the Wolfpack's final two field goals, a backdoor cut by Bennerman, who missed the layup, but scored on an offensive rebound, and a layup by Atsur off a back screen.
"With him making plays like that, and guys being able to get open, we are tough to beat," Bethel said. "He stepped up like a senior should."
So the Wolfpack got what it needed from its oldest players, leadership down the stretch in an important conference victory. Bethel finished the game with a team-high 16 points, sophomore Cedric Simmons added 15, and Evtimov and Bennerman added 12 each.
"That is the value of having some guys with experience," Sendek said. "That is what your older guys are supposed to do for you."
It may not have been a particularly convincing win, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
"These are the kind of wins you want, where you have to dig in and grind it out," said Evtimov, who had a cortisone shot in the first half to relieve pain from his bruised hip. "Those wins are the best."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
