Postgame Observations: State 83, Miami 72

The Wolfpack survived the loss of two more players and a furious second half comeback by the Hurricanes to come away with a big road win

Foundering on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble, having lost three straight, the NC State basketball team can't afford any more wasted opportunities against teams it should beat from here on out.

Wednesday's rematch with Miami was just such an opportunity.

Playing a team it had already beaten once this season and was missing two of its top three scorers, the Wolfpack (15-8, 6-6 ACC) took care of business at Watsco Arena.

Although it wasn't as tidy as it could have been thanks to a second half lapse that let the Hurricanes cut an 18-point lead down to three with plenty of time remaining, coach Keving Keatts' team held on for an 83-72 win it absolutely had to have.

There was plenty to like about both the result and the effort that helped produce it. Among them:

◼ Wednesday's game marked the first time since Jan. 15 six games ago, also against Miami, that the Wolfpack topped the 80-point mark. It was also the first time since the UNC Greensboro game all the way back on Dec. 15 that State made at least half of its field goal attempts in a game. It went 31 of 62 against the Hurricanes for an even 50 percent. It even got 3-pointers to go down, making six stretch during one hot stretch in the first half and finishing the night with nine baskets from beyond the arc. The Wolfpack came into the game having shot just 38.7 percent over the previous seven games, including just 25.7 from 3-point range.

While the improved accuracy can be at least partially credited to the law of averages, assuming that good shooters would eventually start making some shots. But an even bigger reason for the offensive resurgence is the efficiency with which State attacked Miami's 2-3 zone. Markell Johnson, in particular, was masterful in keeping the ball moving, penetrating and not letting his team settle for an endless string of perimeter jumpers on his way to a season-high 12 assists and 19 points.

◼ The balance throughout the lineup that has become State's trademark through the nonconference schedule before the injury bug began to take its toll, finally returned with five players scoring in double figures.

C.J. Bryce, who did most of his damage from the soft spot in the middle of the Hurricanes' zone, teamed with Devon Daniels to get the Wolfpack off and running by combining for 32 of their team's 44 points in the first half. In the second half, Johnson, Braxton Beverly and Manny Bates took over and carried the load the rest of the way.

Bryce led the way with 22 points. 18 of which came in the opening 20 minutes, to go along with a team-high 11 rebounds. It was his best offensive performance since scoring 22 against St. Francis of Brooklyn on Nov. 16. Johnson had 19 points, Daniels and Beverly had 14 each -- with the latter going 4 of 7 from 3-point range -- while Bates had 10.

 ◼ Bates had by far the best game of his young college career, by contributing 10 points and seven rebounds while blocking four shots. His work on the offensive glass, where he had four of his rebounds, was especially meaningful -- especially with fellow big man D.J. Funderburk limited to just 14 minutes and two points because of an undisclosed injury.

◼ Speaking of injuries, the Wolfpack had two more of them to deal with in a season that has seen it play only two of its 12 ACC games with all nine eligible scholarship players available for the entire 40 minutes. In addition to Funderburk going out early in the second half, State was without sophomore forward Jericole Hellems -- who didn't suit up because of an injury suffered in practice on Monday.

Despite being short on numbers, the Wolfpack should great resiliency -- just as it did a couple of weeks ago at Virginia -- by battling back and putting the game away just when it appeared that the game might be slipping away.

◼ Of course, it never should have been in a position to be so resilient. The Wolfpack continues to have issues with maintaining its focus and intensity for an entire game. It's a recurring problem that nearly came back to bite it again Wednesday. 

It seems as though the team has at least one extended scoring drought in virtually every game it plays. This time it happened midway through the second half after State looked to have blown the game open by building a 63-45 lead with 12½ minutes remaining. The drought wasn’t as long as the 11-minute lull that allowed Louisville to pull away last Saturday, but it was enough to let Miami (11-11, 3-9) get back into contention with a 16-2 spurt.

◼ While that lack of a killer instinct is a trait the Wolfpack really needs to shed if it's going to make a successful run at an NCAA bid over the final eight regular season games, give Keatts' team full credit for -- at least this time -- being able to right the ship and finish the game strong. 

After Miami closed to within 69-66 with 5:43 remaining, State locked down on defense and didn't allow a field goal the rest of the way. It finished the game on a 12-4 run that included six consecutive made free throws -- all in one-and-one situations -- by Johnson, whose stroke from the line has been shaky of late.

It wasn't as pretty as it could have been, but the bottom line that the Wolfpack earned their ice cream with a needed road win. Next stop on a critical three-game road trip, Syracuse six days from now on Feb. 11.