NC State
22-10
Clemson
19-13
Second-Half Surge Leads Pack Past Clemson
3/13/2019 1:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Markell Johnson leads Pack with 23 points, 4 assists
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The eight-seed NC State men's basketball team defeated nine-seed Clemson Wednesday afternoon, 59-58, to advance to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
NC State improves to 22-10 on the season, and Clemson drops to 19-14.
The Pack posted the second-largest halftime deficit comeback (16 points) in ACC Tournament history as it outscored Clemson 33-16 in the second half to win, holding the Tigers to just 19 percent shooting from the field. NC State held Clemson to just one made three-pointer in the second half after the Tigers knocked down eight shots from behind the arc in the first half.
Junior guard Markell Johnson made two clutch free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining to give NC State the win.
Johnson led all scorers with 23 points and four assists and was the only Pack player to tally double figures. Torin Dorn grabbed 12 rebounds, the guard's seventh double-digit rebounding effort of the season.
Trailing by as many as 18 in the contest, NC State would reclaim the lead at the 5:38 mark in the second half following a 20-2 run. Johnson rattled off eight straight points over the course of the run to put NC State ahead for the first time since its first basket at the 19:22 mark in the opening half.
NC State converted three consecutive turnovers into five points during the run to cut the Pack's deficit to four heading into the 12-minute media timeout.
In a game filled with runs, NC State continued to inch back within striking distance as it pulled within 12 on five occasions in the second half before getting over the hump.
NC State will face the No. 1 seed Virginia in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN and Raycom.
