Article Jackets Fall to Wolfpack in a Heartbreaker

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ATLANTA, GA – It was another close call at for the Yellow Jackets Saturday at McCamish Pavilion. It ended in another one possession loss. N.C. State guard Trevor Lacy sent Tech fans home disappointed after drilling a 3-point buzzer-beater to give the Wolfpack a dramatic 81-80 overtime victory.

The heartbreak for Tech was evident on Coach Brian Gregory’s face and in his words following the game. “It’s a tough game to lose like that,” he said. “I’m disappointed for the guys because they put in a really good amount of work during this 12-day stretch.”

That 12-day stretch included the season’s lowlight 29-point loss to the Virginia Cavaliers, a backbreaking 2-point loss to Boston College featuring the ACC's last place teams, a commanding bounce back win on the road at #23 Miami, and today’s tense finish against N.C. State.

Facing an early 14-point deficit and N.C. State point guard Cat Barber’s career day from the floor, the Yellow Jackets responded with one of their most complete offensive games of the season.

“We got the ball inside,” said Gregory. “We did a great job on the offensive glass. Our offense generated good looks so that makes it easier to offensive rebound.” Tech dominated the glass to the tune of a 48-31 advantage for the game with 22 of those coming on the offensive end.

The Yellow Jackets rallied all the way back, taking their first lead at 51-49 with 10:13 remaining in the 2nd half. The lead grew to six with 7:38 to go.

It was not enough to withstand what Gregory called an “explosive” N.C. State offense. The Wolfpack fought back to tie the game up at 68 with 37 seconds remaining. After Marcus Georges-Hunt’s end of regulation drive ended in a charge, the already entertaining game moved into overtime.

In overtime Tech positioned themselves within arm’s reach of victory. Following two successful free throws from point guard Travis Jorgenson, the Yellow Jackets led 80-76 with just 19 seconds remaining. The sequence of events that followed was perhaps a microcosm of just how difficult it’s been for the Jackets to close.

Following a Trevor Lacy layup to cut the lead to two, Tech forward Quentin Stephens was fouled with 5 seconds to go and a chance to ice the game. Stephens, an 83% free throw shooter for the year, missed the pair. N.C. State rushed down the floor with a play Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said was by design.

“The plan was to get the ball to Trevor,” said Gottfried. “We had the floor spread the way we wanted to. We got the ball to Trevor right there in the middle of the floor. It worked out well for us.”

Indeed it did. Lacy final 3-point attempt from just beyond the top of the arc connected as the final horn sounded. The Wolfpack escaped and the Yellow Jackets fell 81-80.

It was the Jackets’ fifth consecutive home game that ended by a margin of three points or less. The streak began with a 1-point win against Charlotte; since then Tech has dropped four consecutive ACC contests by 1, 3, 2, and 1 points in succession.

Understanding what the impact of such losses can do to a team’s psyche, Gregory continues to look forward. “We’ve got to just keep fighting,” said Gregory. “We’ve got to figure out a way to keep bouncing back. I believe in [our guys] and they believe in what we do, so we’ve got to keep plugging away.”

With 9 ACC games left on the schedule and a match-up with the Duke Blue Devils on the horizon, the Jackets' bounce back ability will certainly continue to be put to the test.
 
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