North Carolina State University Athletics
Tigers Tame Wolfpack, 70-54
1/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BY TONY HAYNES
Clemson, S.C. In its first trip to Clemson in two years on Tuesday night, NC State saw first-hand why these may not be the same 'Paper Tigers' that usually fizzle once ACC play begins. Placing four players in double-figures and forcing 23 turnovers, the 24th ranked Tigers drilled the Wolfpack, 70-54.
Guard Cliff Hammonds led a balanced attack with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds. Trevor Booker added 13 points, Terrence Oglesby 12 and K.C. Rivers 11 for Clemson, which improved to 14-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.
Not only did the Pack (11-5, 0-2) drop its second straight league game in discouraging fashion, it may have lost another key player to an injury when junior center Ben McCauley turned an ankle trying to chase down a rebound late in the game.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, there was no word on the severity of the injury, although McCauley couldn’t put pressure on the ankle when being helped to the bench.
During a disjointed opening half, neither team was executing very well on offense until Clemson opened up a lead with a barrage of 3-point baskets. Oglesby, a freshman sharpshooter, led the charge with a pair of long-range bombs that gave the Tigers a 20-13 advantage with just over six minutes left. And when Rivers added a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched around two more by
“Every three that they made was a [defensive] mistake,” said NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. “Our guys doubled-down inside, and for several days we talked about never leaving their perimeter people and digging down inside. In a timeout we talked about it and came right back out and did it again. I know they’re young, but that’s not an excuse. We’ve still got to stay focused.”
Only a pair of 3-point baskets by Fells in the latter stages of the half made it respectable, with Clemson taking a 32-24 lead into the lockerroom,
After intermission, Clemson’s smothering pressure took its toll, forcing 12 of NC State’s 23 turnovers. Early in the second half, the Tigers opened up a 47-29 lead with an 11-2 run that left the Pack facing a deficit it would not be able to threaten, especially with its offense unable to function on a consistent basis against the Clemson defense.
By games end, Clemson had scored 29 points off of turnovers compared to only three for NC State.
Marques Johnson made his first start at the point guard spot for NC State, but struggled to initiate the Wolfpack’s offensive attack. Johnson finished with two points, four assists and four turnovers. Freshman Javier Gonzalez also had a tough time, playing just nine minutes.
When Johnson turned his ankle late in the first half, Lowe decided to use Fells at the point for the first time all season. And while the junior guard hit a pair of 3s from the point late in the opening half, most of his team-high 19 points came from his natural two-guard position.
“We have to look at it,” Lowe said when asked if Fells might play the point more. “There’s a lot on Javier right now and he’s struggling with it. There’s times where we might have to look at Courtney at the point with his experience factor. At the same time we need people to relieve the pressure off of him because he’s out of position when he’s playing that.”
Freshman Tracy Smith was the only other bright spot for the Pack, scoring a career-high 13 points to go along with six rebounds off the bench.
It was another tough night for sophomore forward Brandon Costner, who was scoreless, missing all six of his field goal attempts. Costner also had four turnovers, as did senior wingman Gavin Grant.
“What we need is for other people to be able to handle the ball,” Lowe said. “Right now our point guards, in particular Marques, seem to be the only ones handling it. We can’t have turnovers from our four man and our three man. We had eight between the two of them tonight. You’ve got to make the simple play, get open and hit the open man. We kept trying to do too much. That’s what’s been hurting this ballclub, with guys trying to create things on their own and that’s not the kind of players that they are.”
NC State’s leading scorer, freshman big man J.J. Hickson, was a non-factor after picking up two fouls less than five minutes into the game. Hickson, who finished with four points and seven rebounds, sat out the last 15:21 of the opening half and played just 15 minutes.
Clemson shot 45 percent from the floor (27-of-60), and was 10-of-25 from 3-point range. The Wolfpack knocked down 44.2 percent of its shots (23-of-52), including 5-of-12 from behind the arc.
