N.C. State takes back the Triangle, stops Clemson’s run of wins over Tobacco Road foes
Somebody had to stop Clemson’s short-lived dominance over the Triangle.
The Tigers rolled into Raleigh on Saturday having claimed partial ownership over the area, with consecutive wins over N.C. State, UNC and Duke. In a rematch with the Wolfpack, N.C. State took back Tobacco Road bragging rights, snapping the Tigers’ three-game winning streak with a 60-54 victory at PNC Arena.
“I thought our guys did a good job in this game,” Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said. “I told them before the game they are going to have to win every type of game and I knew this would be a grind it out game.”
Last year in Raleigh, N.C. State (13-5, 4-3) needed a Braxton Beverly three at the buzzer for the win. While the ending wasn’t as dramatic this time around, the Tigers (9-8, 3-4) did make fans nervous in the last 10 minutes, pulling to within six after trailing by as many as 18.
After going up 47-29 with 15 minutes remaining, State went ice cold. The Wolfpack went 2 of 11 from the field and looked shaky until D.J. Funderburk snagged an offensive board and put it back, pushing the lead to 13 with 3:04 remaining. The Ohio native finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. It was his first career double-double.
Berverly’s first three of the game wasn’t a buzzer beater, but came with 43.2 seconds remaining to put the Pack up nine, the final nail in the coffin.
Clemson was attempting to win two games in the Triangle in the same season for the third time in school history. But the Tigers good fortunes ran out on a cold Saturday.
For a while it looked like neither team wanted to take control, with the teams playing hot potato with the momentum. Clemson started 0-for-5 from the field, then went on an 11-0 run to go up 11-5. The Tigers led by as many as seven, but the Wolfpack went back on top after an 11-1 run.
The N.C. State defense held Clemson on two separate droughts that went at least two minutes. That allowed the Wolfpack to take control before the break, leading by 12 at intermission.
The Tigers only connected on three field goals in the final eight minutes of the first half, shooting 37.5 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. They shot 39.1 percent from the field in this game. Clemson had shot over 40 in during their three game streak, but the Wolfpack were able to cage the Tigers.
“We focused on the personnel, really,” Funderburk said. “Once we knew personnel and the tendencies down and focus on the three key players and make sure the role guys don’t have a great night, we will be alright.”
Once State was able to slow down Simms, they had little trouble with the rest of the Tigers. Simms scored 10 of the first 11 points for Clemson and 12 of the first 15, but was held scoreless the rest of the first half. He finished with 18 points.
“I just tried to force him to where I know he didn’t want to go,” Funderburk said after the game. “He’s a pretty strong dude. I just tried to stay between him and the basket and guard him as well as I could.”
The Wolfpack had moments where they went cold, but finished the first half shooting 50 percent from the field. Devon Daniels got it going early, scoring 12 points in the first half on 4-for-8 shooting.
“I was just being aggressive, looking for my shots,” Daniels said. “Playing for my teammates, just taking what was open.”
It will be a quick turnaround for the Wolfpack, who head to Virginia on Monday.
“It’s crazy, all I can tell you is we have a short, short, turnover and they’re good,” Keatts said. “They do a great job defensively, they’ve always been one of the best defensive teams in the country for a long, long time. We have to take one day and figure out how to score against those guys.”
AND ONE
It was the fifth time in the last six games that Funderburk has led, or tied as the team’s leading scorer. In the first 46 games of his career he only led the team in scoring once.
PERSONAL FOUL
Redshirt freshman Manny Bates went down with an injury early and did not return for N.C. State. Bates, from Fayetteville, got tangled up with Clemson’s Aamir Simms under the basket. Bates hit the floor and was grabbing his neck/head area around the 11:40 minute mark of the first half.
Bates only played six minutes, scoring two points. Keatts didn’t have an update on Bates when he met with the media after the game.
ICYMI
It was the first time in eight games that an opponent had more bench points than N.C. State, as Clemson led 15-8 in that category.
MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS
4: Number of players in double figures for the Wolfpack.
13: Number of points for Devon Daniels, which is what State fans want to see. In 13 wins this year, Daniels is averaging 12.6 points per game. Markell Johnson had 13 and C.J. Bryce had 11.
40: Number of minutes played by Bryce, just his second game back from a concussion.
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 4:12 PM with the headline "N.C. State takes back the Triangle, stops Clemson’s run of wins over Tobacco Road foes."
