North Carolina State University Athletics
Video: Virginia Tech Highlights
2/22/2015 12:00:00 AM
NC State established an early advantage in the first half and they carried that momentum into the final 20 minutes by building a 19-point lead. Ralston Turner, Trevor Lacey and Cat Barber gave the Pack an edge, scoring in double digits.
Turner led the team with 18 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the floor and 50% from behind the arc. Freshman forwards Caleb Martin and Abdul-Malik Abu also contributed to the win with 14 points combined.
NC State played a solid game on both sides of the ball, but defense played a major role. The Pack gained 12 points off of forced turnovers and finished the night off with 20 defensive rebounds and 28 boards for the night.
Coming off of a big win against then-No. 9 Louisville, the squad had to stay focused tonight.
"We had spurts in the game where we played really well. But at the end of the day, this time of year, you just have to be able to take care of business, you have to be able to win and move on," head coach Mark Gottfried said.
With the Hokies pressing in the second half, Coach Gottfried said he thought the team's "defense had slipped some." He then attributed the quick turn around to BeeJay Anya's "presence around the rim" saying that "defense picked up and gave them the chance to extend the lead."
In the final seconds of the game, Chris Corchiani came in clutch with a jumper to make the final bucket of the night. The Wolfpack now finds itself back on the bubble as March is quickly approaching. Final score of the evening was 69-53, giving the team another quality win heading into a three-game road stretch. First stop is at UNC this Tuesday at 8 p.m.
-- Shantel Jordan
