North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Comeback Stuns Marquette, 77-73
12/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Tony Haynes
Milwaukee - Even after watching his team shoot a blistering 71 percent in the second half of Saturday's 77-73 comeback victory at Marquette, NC State men's basketball coach Sidney Lowe was talking about defense.
And it was an aggressive man-to-man approach that got the Wolfpack (6-1) started after intermission before Tracy Smith and the offense took over.
Trailing 36-25 at the half, the Pack stormed out of the lockerroom, forcing five quick turnovers over the first five minutes to go on an 11-2 run to cut Marquette's lead down to just two. Freshman swingman Scott Wood tallied four steals during the impressive stretch before another rookie made his presence felt.
Handed perhaps the toughest defensive match-up for NC State, freshman forward Josh Davis locked down on Golden Eagles star Lazar Hayward, holding the 6-6 forward to just 2-for-6 shooting in the second half. Stalked and harassed by the quick, athletic Davis, Hayward also turned the ball over five times.
"I'm very proud of Josh," Lowe said. "I've said it from day one; it's going to be hard to keep him off the floor because he does all the intangible things. His defense on Hayward was just outstanding. He makes things happen and that's a special talent."
And once the Wolfpack clamped down on the defensive end of the floor, the offense looked unstoppable. After scoring only two points on just four shots in the opening half, Smith was a different man in the second stanza, scoring 17 of his game-high 19 points on an 8-of-10 shooting touch.
Smith, a 6-8 junior, also grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year.
Smith found more room to operate after he had beaten Marquette double teams with a few key kick-out passes to open teammates early in the second half. After seeing Smith set-up open 3-pointers for C.J. Williams and Javier Gonzalez, Golden Eagles' coach Buzz Williams was forced to play Smith one-on-one in the post.
Usually guarded inside by 6-6 forward Jimmy Butler, the powerful Smith went to work with a variety of jump hooks and post moves. He put an exclamation point on his big second half by working a beautiful pick-and-roll with Gonzalez, who lobbed the ball high in the air for a Smith one-hand flush.
"We knew if [Smith] could kick it out and get those guys some shots, it was going to open up," said Lowe. "He made some great passes out of the post and then you could see coach Williams down there calling off the traps. That's when Tracy was able to go to work."
Frequently getting the ball inside was Gonzalez, who ignored a sore hamstring to put up 15 points and seven assists. The Pack also got another solid effort from senior forward Dennis Horner, who added 13 points.
After a Butler free throw gave Marquette a 47-46 edge with just over 10 minutes to play, the Wolfpack went on an inspiring 17-2 run over the next six minutes to grab a 63-49 advantage with 5:28 to play.
Gonzalez keyed the game-deciding stretch by scoring eight points on a 3-point shot, an old-fashioned 3-point play and a driving layup.
NC State also welcomed senior guard Farnold Degand back on the floor for the first time this season. Sidelined by Lowe for academic issues, Degand made some key plays when the Wolfpack was trying to hold off a furious Marquette comeback in the final minutes.
Streaking through fullcourt pressure, Degand went coast-to-coast on a lay-in that put the Wolfpack in front 69-60 with 2:11 remaining.
"You have to give him a lot of credit after not playing for awhile and then getting the call in a game liked this," Lowe said. "Farnold did a good job relieving some pressure off of Javier by bringing the ball up the floor. I'm just glad we had him."
Only some poor free throw shooting by NC State allowed Marquette to close to within four points with 11 seconds left. The Wolfpack clanked seven of its last 10 free throws, but still managed to hang on for one of the biggest road wins of the Sidney Lowe era.
Butler led Marquette with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Hayward added 15 points and Raleigh native Darius Johnson-Odem 11.
After shooting only 35.7 percent in the second half, the Pack ended up hitting 30-of-56 for 53.6 percent. NC State was also 7of-12 from the 3-point line after making all four of its attempts in the second half.
Marquette (6-2) shot 37.9 percent (25-66) for the game.
"I'm so proud of these guys the way they came back and hung in there," Lowe said. "It was a tough environment and our first real road game. I thought our defense really picked up. We knew we didn't play our best in the first half. We talked about playing harder. I'm just really proud of these guys."
Programming Notes: The first Sidney Lowe TV Show of the season will air on stations all across the state of North Carolina on Sunday night. Check the radio/TV tab of Gopack.com for stations and times in your area. This week's Sidney Lowe Radio Show will be on the Wolfpack Sports Network Tuesday night at seven p.m. and will originate from the food court at Crabtree Valley Mall.
