North Carolina State University Athletics

Top-10 Road Win as Pack Downs UNC 95-91 In OT Thriller
1/27/2018 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Allerik Freeman scores a career-high 29 points off-the-bench in win
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team took down 10th-ranked UNC-Chapel Hill, 95-91, in overtime Saturday afternoon in the Dean Smith Center.
With the win, the Wolfpack improves to 15-7 (5-4 ACC), while the Tar Heels fall to 16-6 (5-4 ACC). The victory also marks the first time since 1987 that NC State has recorded back-to-back conference road wins, and it makes the Wolfpack 3-0 against Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC-CH for the first time since the 1974-75 season.
The win is NC State's third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season.
Five NC State players scored in double digits. Allerik Freeman led the way for NC State with a career-high 29 points in his third 20+ point performance of the season. Torin Dorn and Markell Johnson each added 20 points, and Johnson also dished out 11 assists on the afternoon. Omer Yurtseven put up his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Braxton Beverly scored 10.
Freeman was lights out from three-point range, as he went a perfect 7-of-7 from behind the arc, becoming the first player ever to go better than 5-for-5 from the three-point line against UNC-CH. His performance tied an ACC record for the most threes made in a single game without a miss.
NC State finished the game 15-of-30 from three-point range. The 15 three-pointers are the most UNC-Chapel Hill has given up this season. In addition to Freeman's seven three-pointers, Dorn hit a season-best four three-pointers and Johnson tied his career-high with two three-pointers.
In a game that saw 10 lead changes and was tied on the same number of occasions, the Wolfpack never trailed by more than six on its way to earning its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Tar Heels carried a 41-38 lead into the break, with Freeman, Yurtseven, and Dorn combining for 32 of the Wolfpack's 38 first half points.
NC State regained its lead at the 17:08 mark of the second period and built it up to as much as four (50-46), but the Tar Heels responded with a 9-0 run and led for most of the final 15 minutes of regulation.
With 57 seconds remaining in the game, Johnson drove to the basket and laid it in to tie the score at 81. A stop on the defensive end gave NC State the ball back, and it was Johnson again with the score to give the Pack an 83-81 advantage. Two free throws by UNC-CH's Cameron Johnson forced overtime.
The Wolfpack continued to show great poise over the final five minutes of play. With the Tar Heels within one with 30 seconds left to play, Yurtseven snagged a key offensive rebound and nailed a jump shot to push the lead to three. Dorn buckled down on the next defensive series to force a steal, and Beverly and Johnson sealed the deal with clutch free throw shooting to secure the road win for the Wolfpack.
NC State returns to PNC Arena next Saturday, Feb. 3 as it plays host to Notre Dame. The game is set to tip at noon and will be televised by ESPN.
With the win, the Wolfpack improves to 15-7 (5-4 ACC), while the Tar Heels fall to 16-6 (5-4 ACC). The victory also marks the first time since 1987 that NC State has recorded back-to-back conference road wins, and it makes the Wolfpack 3-0 against Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC-CH for the first time since the 1974-75 season.
The win is NC State's third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season.
Five NC State players scored in double digits. Allerik Freeman led the way for NC State with a career-high 29 points in his third 20+ point performance of the season. Torin Dorn and Markell Johnson each added 20 points, and Johnson also dished out 11 assists on the afternoon. Omer Yurtseven put up his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Braxton Beverly scored 10.
Freeman was lights out from three-point range, as he went a perfect 7-of-7 from behind the arc, becoming the first player ever to go better than 5-for-5 from the three-point line against UNC-CH. His performance tied an ACC record for the most threes made in a single game without a miss.
NC State finished the game 15-of-30 from three-point range. The 15 three-pointers are the most UNC-Chapel Hill has given up this season. In addition to Freeman's seven three-pointers, Dorn hit a season-best four three-pointers and Johnson tied his career-high with two three-pointers.
In a game that saw 10 lead changes and was tied on the same number of occasions, the Wolfpack never trailed by more than six on its way to earning its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Tar Heels carried a 41-38 lead into the break, with Freeman, Yurtseven, and Dorn combining for 32 of the Wolfpack's 38 first half points.
NC State regained its lead at the 17:08 mark of the second period and built it up to as much as four (50-46), but the Tar Heels responded with a 9-0 run and led for most of the final 15 minutes of regulation.
With 57 seconds remaining in the game, Johnson drove to the basket and laid it in to tie the score at 81. A stop on the defensive end gave NC State the ball back, and it was Johnson again with the score to give the Pack an 83-81 advantage. Two free throws by UNC-CH's Cameron Johnson forced overtime.
The Wolfpack continued to show great poise over the final five minutes of play. With the Tar Heels within one with 30 seconds left to play, Yurtseven snagged a key offensive rebound and nailed a jump shot to push the lead to three. Dorn buckled down on the next defensive series to force a steal, and Beverly and Johnson sealed the deal with clutch free throw shooting to secure the road win for the Wolfpack.
NC State returns to PNC Arena next Saturday, Feb. 3 as it plays host to Notre Dame. The game is set to tip at noon and will be televised by ESPN.
Team Stats
ST
NC
FG%
.447
.528
3FG%
.500
.211
FT%
.667
.550
RB
34
48
TO
9
14
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
MBB Postgame Presser: Players (UNC)
Tuesday, February 17
Coach Wade Postgame Presser (UNC)
Tuesday, February 17
Coach Wade Postgame Presser (Miami)
Saturday, February 14
MBB Postgame Presser: Players (Virginia Tech)
Saturday, February 07







