North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Wolfpack Wins Third Consecutive ACC Game
2/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2006
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH - They weren't always the best executed games. Or the prettiest.
But NC State's last three ACC games have one thing in common: they have all been victories. And that, more than anything else, has helped erase the bitter taste of the loss to Seton Hall, a non-conference setback that will have no bearing on the No. 18 Wolfpack's finish in the ACC.
Now, following Sunday's 62-58 victory over Maryland, the Wolfpack heads on a two-game road trip, to Miami Wednesday and to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech next Sunday, with the confidence that a team gets from getting wins, even when it doesn't play at its best.
"It gives us some extra confidence that is sort of hidden behind the fact that we are getting these wins," said senior guard Tony Bethel, who led the Wolfpack with 17 points by making five of nine 3-point shots. "We know that we can play way better and we just go to practice, listen to coach and get better and better."
Bethel's outside shooting has been a big reason why the Wolfpack (18-4 overall, 7-2 ACC) has won four of its last five games and is solidly in second place in the conference standings. Sunday was his fifth straight game of hitting at least three 3-pointers, and he his 56.4 shooting from outside the arc in ACC games is tops in the league.
Those wins - at home over Wake Forest, Virginia and Maryland and on the road in double-overtime at Clemson - gives the Wolfpack a one-game advantage over Miami for second place in the ACC standings.
"This is what we wanted to do," Bethel said. "We wanted to separate ourselves in the ACC standings with these wins at home, because now we have a couple of games on the road. Miami is playing well. Georgia Tech is playing well.
"We really wanted to get these wins because we are going on the road. We know if we don't go down there with our A-game, we can come out of there with a loss."
Sunday's win came after a poorly executed first half, in which the Wolfpack made only eight of 31 shots. Execution got better in the second half, and the Wolfpack made eight of its 14 3-point shots to take control of the game.
Fifth-year senior Ilian Evtimov believes that this little slight turndown in execution - without a major drop-off in outcome - will eventually made the Wolfpack stronger.
"Throughout the season, a lot of teams have ups and downs," Evtimov said. "If we are going to have downs, I hope this was it, because we are still winning. What matters to us is to get every game.
"Yes, we can play better, but I think we are getting back to the level that we were at earlier this year, with our energy and our defense. I think things are going to start clicking again."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
