Gameday Live Blog/Open Thread: Georgia Tech
The opening tip of the season's first game has yet to go up and already, the NC State basketball team is dealing with adversity.
Star point guard Markell Johnson, the team's top returning scorer and on-court leader, will miss tonight's season and ACC opener because of an ankle injury. It is not known when the preseason All-ACC selection suffered the injury or how bad it is.
But with Johnson on the bench in street clothes, the Wolfpack is going to need a big game from his replacement Braxton Beverly and others -- including senior wing C.J. Bryce, who will likely be called upon to share the ballhandling duties.
FIRST HALF
Jamie Luckie, Brian Dorsey and Brent Hampton are in stripes tonight. Grad transfer Pat Andree is in the starting lineup in place of Jericole Hellems (who left the exhibition game against Mount Olive last week with a shoulder injury.
Beverly, Bryce, Devon Daniels and redshirt freshman Manny Bates are the other starters. ...
Andree immediately makes his presence known by draining a left corner 3 for the first points of the season .... Beverly follows with a 3 of his own from the other side, then freshman Bates (who already has a blocked shot) throws down an alley oop dunk from Beverly for a quick 8-0 Wolfpack lead. ....
Coach Kevin Keatts couldn't have asked for a better start ...
First TV timeout: State 8, Tech 4 with Andree going to the line for three shots ...
Hellems is first off the bench, spelling Andree at the 15:38 mark after the grad transfer makes all three free throws ... No signs of shoulder problem for Hellems as he attacks the basket, scores and is fouled to increase the Wolfpack lead to 16-9 ...
Keatts going big now by bringing Andrese back in for Beverly. Even without Johnson, State has so many more lineup options than the previous two years with this team ...
Andree is 3 for his first 3 as a Wolfpacker from beyond the arc. He has 12 of State's first 24 points. The Patriot League isn't the ACC, but the 3-point line is the same distance in both conferences. And if you can shoot, you can shoot. So far, Mr. Andree appears as though he can shoot. ...
Under 12 TV timeout: State 24, Tech 12
Bates is having trouble offensively, missing his other three shots besides the alley oop dunk. But he's been dominant defensively with two blocks and several other altered shots already ...
Under 8 TV timeout: State 28, Tech 18
Two fouls on Tech big man James Banks III and he heads to the bench, presumably for the final 5:50 of the half. State also now in the bonus ...
State is shooting 51.9 percent from the floor thus far, 5 of 8 from 3. Defensively it has forced seven Tech turnovers and is outrebounding the Yellow Jackets 15-12 ...
Under 4 TV timeout: State 39, Tech 24
Beverly goes down HARD atempting to keep Tech's Michael Devoe from getting a fastbreak layup. He paid the price, but it paid off as Devoe misses one of the two free throws. ...
On the very next possession, Beverly tries to take a charge but is in the semicircle and is hit with hit third foul. JUCO transfer A.J. Taylor makes his first appearance to replace him. ...
State getting a little sloppy on both ends of the court … two straight dunks by Banks (who is back in the game). Offensively, Wolfpack has gone three minutes without a field goal (0 for 5 in that stretch) and Tech is back to within 41-35 ...
The Wolfpack goes the last 3:59 of the half without a field goal, the Yellow Jackets finish out the period on an 11-3 run, but still trails 42-35 at the break.
HALFTIME
Even without Markell Johnson, #NCState looked great at times during the first half.
Manny Bates and Danny Dixon were an effective pair inside, especially on the defensive end, Pat Andree shot lights out early and there was balance throughout the lineup after that.
But as soon as Braxton Beverly went out with his third foul just after the under-4 TV timeout, things fell apart on both ends of the court. The Wolfpack missed seven of its final eight shots, ended up at just 41.2 percent for the half and saw what was once as much as a 15-pont lead with four minutes left in the half dwindle down to just 7.
Keeping Beverly on the court and avoiding another extended scoring drought will be key over the final 20 minutes.
SECOND HALF
Same five that started the game open things up in the second half for State: Beverly, Bryce, Daniels, Andree and Bates ...
Speaking of point guards not being able to stay on the court, Tech's playmaker Jose Alvarado picks up his fourth foul just three minutes into the second half. VMI transfer Bubba Parham in to run the Yellow Jackets' offense ...
Under 16 TV timeout: State 48, Tech 43
This is where the Wolfpack REALLY misses Johnson. It's not so much his shooting or his playmaking or even his defense, it's his sense of the moment. He's the guy who always seemed to sense when he team needed a lift and he never hesitated to put State on his shoulders and carry it. It will be interesting to see if someone steps up and fills that role here, because the Wolfpack is teetering on the brink right now ...
Tech ties the game at 48 before Hellems hits a 3 to stop the bleeding with 13:26 left
The officials have missed two Tech goaltends in three possessions ...
Parham ties it back up from the line. After Bryce hits a midrange jumper to put State back up 53-51, Keatts calls timeout to talk to his team. Not sure which end of the floor he's most upset about. Neither one has been good since the 4 minute mark of the first half ...
Third time's the charm ...Brent Hampton finally calls a goaltend and State's lead is back up to 4 ...
Tech's Moses Wright picks up his fourth foul, then gets his five before Pastner can get him out. He's done with 10 minutes still remaining .... And Hellems then draws a charge on Banks, his third, and shortly thereafter his fourth. Hellems is trying to foul Tech's entire team out ...
And oh by the way, the sophomore wing has scored the Wolfpack's last five points to keep it ahead ... 62-59 with 8:19 left. Hellems now leads the team with 13 points ...
Under eight TV timeout: State clinching to a 65-59 lead
State has gone ultra small here with Hellems playing the 5, trying to guard the 6-10 Banks while giving up about 3 inches. Andree is the tallest player on the court at 6-7 ...
Bates back in now. Small lineup on the floor for only a couple of possessions ...
CJ Bryce now keeping the Wolfpack in the lead. He's scored the last three baskets and has 20 ... State 71, Tech 68 at the under 4 TV timeout.
Make that four straight buckets and 22 points for Bryce. ...
This one is coming down to the wire ... tie game with 1:06 left. Tech's ball. The Yellow Jackets have not led in this game yet ...
Khalid Moore with the 3-point miss from the right corner. Hellems rebound. State's turn to try and win this one. Still tied, 32.7 seconds left. If you're Keatts, what do you run coming out of this timeout? You have to figure it's something for either Bryce or Hellems.
Wow … State with about three misses around the rim, Andree gets the rebound and is tied up before he can call time out. Arrow goes to Tech with 5.5 seconds left ….
Very similar scenario to the final possession last March. Only this time, State cuts off Alvarado's path to the basket and he has to hoist up a long 3 … Overtime in the opener tied at 75.
OVERTIME
Asanti Price's 3 on the first possession of overtime gives Tech its first lead of the game 78-75 ...
Beverly with two free throws to get State back to within one ...
A Bates block and some good post defense forces a shot clock violation on the Yellow Jackets. Wolfpack with a chance to take back the lead ...
Beverly with a 1-handed floater in the lane to put the Wolfpack up 79-78, but Devoe answers right back with 1:50 left ...
Traveling call gives the ball back to the Yellow Jackets. They'll have the ball when play resumes after the timeout, up 1 with 1:12 left. Needless to say, State needs a stop here. ...
Tech comes out with two point guards on the floor ... Devoe front rims a 3 and Bates rebounds. Now Bryce will go to the line with a chance to put State back up with 35.1 seconds left ...
Bryce hits them both .... 81-80 State ...
Wild up and down sequence … Daniels with a steal, but turns it over trying to throw it to Bates. Ball nearly goes out of bounds, Tech saves it with about 10 seconds left. Alvarado misses a 3 but Yellow Jackets get the rebound and Banks is fouled ...
Banks makes the first to tie. State time out with 2.1 seconds left. Banks makes the second, Beverly's halfcourt heave misses and the Wolfpack goes down 82-81.
And so it begins ...
Final: Georgia Tech 82, NC State 81
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