TAMPA, Fla. – It took overtime on Thursday evening to determine who would advance to play second-seeded Virginia on Friday in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals. And in a surprising upset, 10th-seeded N.C. State eliminated 7th-seeded Duke with a thrilling 85-80 victory at the St. Pete Times Forum.
“We played a very solid ballgame, both physically and mentally,” N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said. “We made runs when we had to and we executed against their pressure defense. We also made some big stops down the stretch and had some guys who had tremendous games for us.”
Lowe was referring to freshman forward Brandon Costner and senior guard Engin Atsur with that last remark. Both put up monstrous numbers as Costner totaled 30 points and seven rebounds and Atsur tallied 21 points, all after halftime. In addition, sophomore forward Ben McCauley chipped in with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
After trailing by five at intermission, 34-29, N.C. State (16-14) tied the game 41-41 on a lay-up by Atsur with 16:25 remaining. The contest swung back and forth throughout the rest of the second half as neither squad built a lead of more than six points. Duke’s DeMarcus Nelson tied the score at 70 with 41 seconds remaining, setting up the last possession of regulation. Costner, Atsur and Courtney Fells all missed jumpers and Atsur’s tip-in attempt failed to drop as time expired.
After Duke (22-10) failed to score on the opening possession of overtime, N.C. State seized the momentum when Costner made a lay-up while also drawing the fourth foul on Duke’s Josh McRoberts. Costner converted the free throw attempt and the Wolfpack never trailed again.
“That play gave us a lot of energy and a lot of confidence,” Costner said.
N.C. State is a team that has experienced a full rollercoaster of emotions in Lowe’s first season. Despite racking up 11 conference losses, the Wolfpack also notched two wins over Virginia Tech as well as a signature win over North Carolina.
The Wolfpack will not make the NCAA Tournament unless it wins the ACC Tournament, an unlikely possibility even after the victory over Duke. But N.C. State is showing that it could be back in the mix of things near the top of the league in the not-so-distant future.
“We have a young team,” Atsur said. “We are learning every game and we have to be patient, play smart and play together. We have nothing to lose and we want to finish our season strong.”