NC State basketball rallies late, falls to Pitt. 3 takeaways from the Pack’s home loss

If N.C. State could have made most of its free throws Wednesday, it could have beaten Pittsburgh.

But the Wolfpack didn’t. And didn’t.

The Panthers, unfazed by playing on the Pack’s home floor, kept their poise down the stretch and knocked down 18 of 20 free throws to come away with a 67-64 victory.

The win enhanced Pitt’s NCAA tournament resume -- the Panthers also have won at Duke -- and was another hit for the Pack’s. State (15-8, 7-5 ACC) had beaten Miami and Georgia Tech at PNC Arena in its last two games, and had the lead in the second half Wednesday, but couldn’t get the job done this night.

The Pack made just six of its 15 foul shots, each miss creating increasingly louder groans among the Wolfpack crowd.

“You’re not going to win any games when you go 6 for 15,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said. “Tonight we didn’t step up and make our free throws and I think that cost us the game.”

The Wolfpack’s D.J. Horne again was the offensive leader with 25 points and D.J. Burns, playing with some fire, was productive with a season-high 19 points. But there was little help elsewhere as Casey Morsell struggled with his shooting and Jayden Taylor appeared to be lacking his usual energy, especially on the defensive end..

Jaland Lowe’s two free throws with 5.7 seconds left clinched Pitt’s fifth victory in the past six games this season. With the 67-64 lead, the Panthers (15-8, 6-6 ACC) then fouled State’s Michael O’Connell with three seconds showing rather than allowing the Pack a 3-point shot.

O’Connell missed the two foul shots, the second intentionally. Casey Morsell chased down the loose ball and attempted a last-gasp shot near the sideline, but was well off the mark.

Lowe, a freshman guard who is quick and elusive, finished with 20 points and Blake Hinson 16 for the Panthers (15-8, 6-6).

“Lowe was very aggressive for them, was able to get into the paint and make things happen” Keatts said,

The Panthers took a 38-30 halftime lead as the Pack went the last 3:41 of the half without a point as Horne went to the bench with two fouls. Pitt led 43-30 early in the second half, but the Pack slowly clawed its way back in it, finally enlivening the crowd.

The Panthers shot 33.3% from the field in the second half, going 1-for-12 on 3’s -- 5-for-21 for the game. But they were 12 of 14 at the line and that was enough.

State tied the score 56-56 on a Morsell 3 after holding Pitt without a basket for six minutes, and a Burns basket inside pushed the Pack ahead with 6:30 to play – State’s first lead since 5-3. It would be a tight finish.

“Pitt played great in the first half and we played great in the second half but we were 6 for 15 from the free throw line,” Keatts said.

Three takeaways from the game:

Down to the wire. Again.

How many ACC have come down to a test of wills as much as X’s and O’s in the final minutes?

With so many teams evenly matched, it’s a literal fight to finish. Every loose ball becomes a war. The lane is a tough place to tread.

With 3:52 left Wednesday, the teams at their benches for a media timeout, it was 60-60. One team would win and possibly help itself come NCAA time and the other would take a tough loss that could hurt its chances.

The Panthers won two rebound battles on the possession after the timeout, Ishmael Leggett ending it with a soft banker to give Pitt the lead. Horne and Mo Diarra then missed shots on the Pack’s next two possessions as Pitt edged ahead 63-60 but Horne hit two at the line.

Burns had a chance to give the Pack the lead with 55 seconds remaining but missed a shot under the basket, only to have Pitt’s Fede Federiko then score on a putback.

Pack’s big man was better

The Pack’s Burns has had his ups and downs this season but Wednesday’s game was mostly a solid one for the big man.

Keatts is limiting his minutes, not allowing any long stretches of playing time, and it appears to be benefiting Burns, who had 21 minutes Wednesday.

Keatts was asked about Burns’ conditioning after the Georgia Tech game. He called it good. Burns is listed at 275 pounds but looks bigger and is thought to be bigger — or at least bigger than he was last season.

But Burns was back to making his nice moves around the basket and getting his shots against the Panthers, who had 6-11, 225-pound junior Fede Federiko on him. Federiko might have left a few welts on Burns’ back battling him inside. It was a heavyweight duel.

The game plan

Keatts, like all coaches, insists his team pay close attention to the game plan and a detailed scouting report and follow that plan come game time. But at times in the first half, the Pack appeared confused and not on point. Certainly not on point with the game plan.

On one first-half possession, Pitt’s Carlton Carrington noticed no one appeared to be guarding him — almost unaware of the freshman guard with the ball in his hands — and waltzed down the baseline for an uncontested layup. That lapse even led to some boos from the Wolfpack crowd.

The matchups also were a bit skewed at times. Mo Diarra is an agile big man but was matched up against Hinson, who promptly knocked down a 3 against him. It also hurt the Pack, Keatts said, that Jayden Taylor, State’s best on-the-ball defender, had a low energy level.

Several matchups favored the Panthers except for the guys assigned to go head-to-head with Burns. And Horne is always a handful.

The Wolfpack was better in the second half, again fighting its way back into a game.