Chestnut Hill, Mass. – Boston College used a late run to push past NC State, 74-66, Wednesday night at the Conte Forum. With the loss, the Pack is now 12-5, 1-3 in the ACC this season.
photo by Gene Galin
NC State was within one, 57-56, with 8:37 to play after a Maverick Rowan three-pointer, but the Pack only connected on one field goal over the next five minutes, allowing Boston College to go on a game-sealing 11-3 run.
Turnovers plagued NC State for the second straight game as the Pack turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 23 Boston College points.
The Pack made one last comeback attempt, cutting the lead to 70-66 with 50 seconds to go, but could get no closer as the Eagles scored the final four points of the game at the foul line.
Dennis Smith, Jr., led the Pack in scoring for the seventh time in eight games, finishing with 15 points. Terry Henderson also reached double figures for NC State, finishing with 14 points. Junior Abdul-Malik Abu finished two points short of a double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds. Abu is now averaging 10 rebounds per game in four ACC contests.
Boston College scored on its first three possessions of the game to take an early 8-2 lead, but NC State answered with a 10-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 12-10, on a Torin Dorn lay-up with 12:25 left in the opening period. The Pack would lead for most of the remaining 12 minutes, but could never get a lead bigger than five points. The Eagles ended the half on a 6-1 run to take a 34-32 lead into the break.
After playing three of its four ACC games on the road, NC State returns home for straight league games starting on Sunday night against Georgia Tech. Tip against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU.