National Basketball Association
NC State 82, Georgia Tech 76
When: 5:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 3, 2024
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Officials:
# Isaac Barnett, # Tony Chiazza, # Lee Cassell
Attendance:
15523
By Field Level Media
DJ Horne scored 26 points and Jayden Taylor added 21 as North Carolina State took control in the second half and recorded an 82-76 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, N.C.
The Wolfpack (15-7, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) improved to 11-2 at home and gave coach Kevin Keatts his 200th career victory thanks to Horne and Taylor and an effective four-guard lineup.
Horne and Taylor were a combined 14-for-35 from the field overall but combined for 29 of North Carolina State's 47 points in the second half. It marked the first game this season the Wolfpack produced multiple 20-point scorers.
Horne scored 16 points in the second and hit consecutive shots to start the decisive 24-4 run which turned a six-point deficit into a 62-48 edge with 8:56 left. Taylor finished one point shy of his season high and scored 13 after halftime, including a dunk that capped the big run.
Casey Morsell added 15 points and D.J. Burns Jr. pulled down 10 rebounds as the Wolfpack survived shooting 37.7 percent and 29 percent from 3-point range.
Miles Kelly scored 20 points for Georgia Tech (10-12, 3-8), which lost for the fourth time in five games. Naithan George, who hit the game-winning basket to beat No. 3 North Carolina on Tuesday, added 18 as the Yellow Jackets shot 41.4 percent and were 17-for-25 from the foul line.
The Wolfpack took an early 13-4 lead and missed 11 straight shots until Taylor's three-point play and layup off a turnover made it 20-13 with about 10 minutes left in the first half.
Taylor's three-point play put the Wolfpack ahead 25-15 with 8:53 left, but Kelly hit a jumper that capped an 11-0 run and forged a 29-29 deadlock with 3:02 to go. Kelly sank a triple with 69 seconds left that helped the Yellow Jackets take a 36-35 lead by halftime.
Kelly's 3 put Georgia Tech up 44-38 just over two minutes into the second half, but NC State ripped off 12 straight points for a 50-44 lead on a hoop by Michael O'Connell before taking control.
After George's trey made it 71-56 with 2:15 left, the Wolfpack iced the game by hitting nine free throws in the final two minutes.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Georgia Tech |
|
NC State |
Miles Kelly 20 |
Scoring |
DJ Horne 26 |
Naithan George 5 |
Assists |
Michael O'Connell 6 |
Miles Kelly 10 |
Rebounds |
D.J. Burns Jr. 10 |
Naithan George 5 |
Free Throws Made |
DJ Horne 10 |
Tafara Gapare 1 |
Steals |
Michael O'Connell 3 |
Tafara Gapare 3 |
Blocks |
Mohamed Diarra 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Georgia Tech
|
76 |
41.4 |
11-27 |
17-25 |
10 |
41 |
4 |
2 |
12 |
NC State
|
82 |
37.7 |
9-31 |
21-27 |
14 |
41 |
2 |
9 |
4 |