North Carolina State University Athletics
Florida Tops Pack In Overtime on Miracle Shot
1/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. – Florida's Chandler Parsons grabbed a missed free throw by NC State senior Farnold Degand with 2.6 seconds remaining, took two dribbles, and drained a desperation 75-foot heave to give the visiting Gators a 62-61 overtime victory Sunday afternoon at the RBC Center.
The Wolfpack (10-4) was in control throughout the overtime period, after junior Javi Gonzalez scored the first five points of the extra period. The Pack led 57-52 after Tracy Smith hit a free throw with less than a minute to play.
But Florida, after missing 21 of its first 22 3-point attempts in the game, got a 3-pointer by Kenny Boynton with 13.2 seconds remaining to pull within two points. Senior Dennis Horner made one of two free throw attempts with 11.2 seconds to play, and Florida's Erving Walker twice made two free throws after the Wolfpack fouled to put him on the line – including the final attempt, which Walker tried to missed the ball banked in off the backboard.
"That's just the way things went for us today," said NC State coach Sidney Lowe, whose strategy to foul the Gators at the end of the game was foiled by his own team's inability to hit free throws.
The score was 60-59 with 3.3 seconds remaining, when Degand was fouled in the backcourt. He made the first of the two shots, then missed the second. Parsons, left unattended on the block, grabbed the rebound and hurled in a miracle, which was confirmed by the officials at mid-court.
"I obviously stand up here very, very humbled by the events that happened at the end of the game," said Florida coach Billy Donovan. "I thought NC State's players executed very, very well coming down the stretch. I thought our guys executed well and it's amazing.
"In coaching, you think you have a lot more control and a lot more impact than actually you do. We are very, very fortunate to win. There was no diagram, no play. A guy just took a shot and made it."
Degand's miss continued the Wolfpack's difficult performance from the free throw line in the second half. Only once – when Gonzalez made a pair of free throws with 6.5 remaining in overtime – did the Wolfpack made more than one free throw in seven two-shot opportunites. In the second half, the Pack was 7-for-15 from the charity stripe.
"It was a really tough loss," said Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe. "Our guys did a great job of fighting to get back into the game. I thought we were executing well, except at the free throw line. They made theirs and we missed ours, then we allowed their guy to get the ball on the rebound and throw one up there."
Parsons shot left his hands while his feet were in the blue RBC logo on the opposite site of the mid-court line and hit only the bottom of the net, to hand the Wolfpack its most heart-breaking loss in many seasons.
"This one hurts," Lowe said. "And it will hurt for a while."
Until Parson made his shot, Gonzalez was the hero of the game, especially for the 17,207 partisan Wolfpack fans at the RBC Center. He scored the game-tying shot with 29.8 seconds remaining in regulation, hit the first two baskets in overtime and the two free throws at the end that seemed to seal the victory.
The Wolfpack, which went nearly seven minutes without scoring in the latter part of regulation, was looking for someone to take charge, and Gonzalez stepped forward, both offensively and defensively.
Florida was leading 48-45 after the Wolfpack failed to score from the 7:56 mark until senior Dennis Horner made a single free throw with 1:19 remaining.
Florida could have expanded its two-point lead, but one-time NC State signee Dan Werner missed a jumper that was rebounded by Degand. The Wolfpack brought the ball down the court and Horner's inside jumper was affected by two Gator defenders.
But Gonzalez was in position to grab the rebound and put the ball back in the basket to tie up the two-team defensive struggle.
Florida (11-3) called timeout with 25.5 seconds remaining on the clock to set up a final possession, but Erving Walker's 3-pointer with two seconds to go bounced off the back of the rim, just like all but one of the 17 previous 3-pointers the Gators attempted.
Junior Tracy Smith dominated in the first half, scoring 14 points, but was smothered by Florida double teams in the second half. He missed three of his first four shots after intermission and finished the game with 21 points and nine rebounds.
But the Wolfpack's perimeter players responded by hitting a trio of 3-point shots to help offset the crowd around Smith.
Freshman Scott Wood hit two of the long shots, including one well behind the 3-point line at the top of the key. Senior Farnold Degand hit the other, with 11:49 to play, to give the Pack a 40-37 advantage.
"One of the things I was worried about was what happened in the second half," Donovan said. "That's if you do try to get Smith was Woods hitting the ball from behind the 3-point line. That's when they get really well-balanced, when you start doubling Smith way too early.
"He's really good at finding the open guy, and with Woods and Horner and Gonzalez on the perimeter, they're good enough shooters that it really makes it difficult."
Florida's press gave NC State's guards trouble throughout the game. Of the Pack's 14 turnovers in the game, 12 were created by Florida steals.
The Gators missed their first 13 3-point attempts, until Walker made one from the top of the key with 8:46 to play that gave the Gators a 44-40 lead. The Wolfpack scored two quick baskets, including a 3-pointer by Wood with 7:56 remaining.
In the first half, the Wolfpack played strong defense without anyone getting into foul trouble and took a 29-27 lead into intermission. Florida managed to make just 12 of its 33 field goal attempts (36.4 percent), including all nine shots from 3-point range.
State relied on Smith's inside scoring to build as much as an eight-point lead midway through the half. Smith made six of his nine field goal attempts for 14 first-half points.
The rest of the Wolfpack's 15 points were spread among the lineup, with six other players contributing one field goal apiece.
The Pack made only two of nine 3-point attempts, one each by Gonzalez and Wood. But that pair, coupled with the Gators' 0-for-9 performance from beyond the arc, helped build State's lead.
NC State returns home Wednesday night to face Holy Cross in an untelevised 7 p.m. contest at the RBC Center. The Pack hosts Virginia Saturday at noon, in the first home ACC game of the season.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
