Kowacie Reeves Jr. heated up in the second half on the way to 21 points as Georgia Tech snapped a three-game skid by surprising NC State for a 78-74 victory Saturday afternoon at Raleigh, N.C.
Lamar Washington’s 18 points, Akai Fleming’s 16 points and Jaeden Mustaf’s 11 points and 10 rebounds also boosted the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference)
Georgia Tech’s losing streak included a blowout home loss to Pitt on Wednesday night, but the Yellow Jackets came with better energy for this matchup.
Quadir Copeland racked up 16 points and Ven-Allen Lubin and Paul McNeil Jr. both had 12 points for the Wolfpack (12-6, 3-2), who were hurt by 16-for-25 free-throw shooting.
Georgia Tech survived despite its 14-for-28 mark at the foul line, including five misses in the final 36 seconds. But NC State’s ensuing possessions resulted in three missed 3-pointers and a turnover.
The Yellow Jackets had a better shooting rate from the field at 51.9% and ended up with a 43-34 edge on the boards.
Reeves’ third 3-point basket in a 6 1/2-minute span pushed the Yellow Jackets to a 68-61 lead. His fourth 3 of the half made it 74-66 with 2:15 to play.
McNeil’s two free throws at the 39-second mark allowed NC State to close to within 77-74.
Copeland, who had a game-high six assists, and McNeil each bagged three 3-point shots, but NC State was 12 of 33 from beyond the arc. NC State’s reserves outscored Georgia Tech’s backups 20-6.
NC State, which had been off for a week since a record-setting performance at Florida State, completed what was a 12-0 stretch when Copeland posted the first five points of the second half for a 40-34 edge. The Wolfpack later led 55-47.
NC State scored the final seven points of the first half for a 35-34 lead. The Wolfpack were up despite shooting 39% from the field and facing a rebounding deficit.
