NC State
#22 San Diego State
Wolfpack Overpowers No. 22 San Diego State, 79-65
3/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2012
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Tournament Central, Presented by Buffalo Wild Wings
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Richard Howell doubled his average with 22 points and 11th-seeded NC State used its muscle inside and sticky defense to upset San Diego State 79-65 on Friday in a first-round East Regional game.
The Wolfpack (23-12) advances to play the winner of Belmont-Georgetown on Sunday at Nationwide Arena.
"None of us had ever played in a game like this," Howell said. "This gave us a big confidence boost."
The 6-foot-8, 250-pound Howell got the Wolfpack (23-12) off on the right foot with 15 first-half points, carrying them into a showdown with the winner of Belmont-Georgetown on Sunday at Nationwide Arena.
"In today's game, we felt we could have success around the basket," first-year coach Mark Gottfried said. "We made the decision to go toward Richard, and he lit up like a Christmas tree."
It was easy to see that the Wolfpack had a size advantage on the surprising Aztecs (26-8), who were back in the tournament despite losing four starters from last year's squad that lost to eventual champion Connecticut.in the regional semifinals.
Lorenzo Brown added 17 points, C.J. Leslie 15 and Scott Wood 10 for the Wolfpack, who are now 12-5 in their first NCAA games. N.C. State has won at least a game in seven of their last eight trips.
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Jamaal Franklin had 23 points and Chase Tapley 19 for the Aztecs (26-8), regular-season champs of the Mountain West.
It's been a remarkable turnaround for the Wolfpack under first-year head coach Mark Gottfried. They've improved by eight wins over last season, and they made it to the NCAA tournament despite losing four in a row in February.
Howell, averaging 10.7 points a game, hit 7 of 9 shots - including some where he stepped outside to pour in jumpers.
"He does it all the time in practice," said Brown, who also chipped in with eight assists. "I'm just glad he was hitting good shots. He was just feeling it, I guess."
The teams traded baskets, with the offenses - for the first time all day - getting the upper hand.
The Aztecs suddenly found the range but Leslie nailed two free throws and Brown hit a 3 from the corner off a kickout pass from Leslie to keep North Carolina State up 54-48 midway through the half.
Howell, averaging under 11 a game, had 22 after hitting a spin move and drawing a foul, then completing the three-point play midway through the second 20 minutes. On the latter play, Tim Shelton - the Aztecs' best big man - picked up his fourth foul.
Howell was a beast inside for the Wolfpack, also stepping outside to hit a couple of high-arching, 12-foot jumpers.
Still, with the Aztecs scoring on five consecutive possessions, they drew to 57-54.
Gottfried called a timeout to talk to his troops, and it apparently worked.
"We've been through a lot this year," Brown said. "We've played a lot of great teams, like Syracuse and North Carolina and teams like that. Coming down to the end, we made big shots."
They did once again.
Out of the timeout, Williams hit a short shot. After a San Diego State miss, Brown made a 14-footer with a hand in his face for a 61-54.
After Garrett Green dunked for the Aztecs, the Wolfpack came right back with back-to-back baskets to get some breathing room. First, Leslie dribbled laterally to the lane and pulled up to hit a 12-foot jumper. The Aztecs missed, then Painter, averaging 6.4 points a game, had the first of his two huge plays. He hit a fade from the left baseline for a 65-56 lead.
He later added a three-point play to push the lead to 68-58.
With the clock on their side, the Wolfpack then were able to be patient while the Aztecs scrambled.
The Wolfpack shot 58.5 percent from the field for the game and held the Aztecs to 38 percent.
The Wolfpack rode an 8-3 run to close the half to take a 33-29 lead. They did it by working the ball inside on the offensive end and playing physical, helping defense.
North Carolina State, shooting .463 on the season, made 52 percent of its shots from the field in the opening half.
The Wolfpack, a popular choice to pull the upset, will have a hard time sneaking up on anyone else.
"I have believed if they did things the right way, if they played good defense and executed at the right times, they had a chance," Gottfried said.
Plus, they also had a secret weapon.
"I didn't want this to be our last game," Howell said.
