Ven-Allen Lubin Brings Fight in Costly NC State Loss

RALEIGH — While there was no shortage of problems in NC State's 78-74 loss to Georgia Tech, senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin wasn't one of them. The ACC veteran handled a difficult head-to-head matchup with Yellow Jacket forward Baye Ndongo well and did his best to keep the Wolfpack in the fight as the game slipped away.

Lubin finished the loss with 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists, shooting 5-of-9 from the field. While he struggled from the free throw line, some of his defensive plays kept NC State afloat as Georgia Tech surged down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to hang on.

Lubin's performance and thoughts on the loss

While Lubin has lit up the stat sheet with some rebounding and scoring performances, it was his work on the defensive end that was most impressive in the loss to the Yellow Jackets. His first block came in the first half when he tracked down Georgia Tech guard Lamar Washington in transition. Lubin took off and swatted Washington's shot off the glass.

He came up with two more key blocked shots down the stretch in the second half, but couldn't protect the paint from Georgia Tech's relentless drivers. He struggled with paint touches early on, but was able to operate more cleanly in pick and roll situations as NC State adjusted the offense in the second half.

NOT IN MY HOUSE ❌🐺

Ven-Allen Lubin with the chase-down block for @PackMensBball!

📺 @TheCW pic.twitter.com/3Tr6b4DaTs
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) January 17, 2026

NC State showed a greater urgency in the wins over Boston College and Florida State. Lubin's paint presence in those games was important, but not as critical as it was against the Yellow Jackets. The main reason for that was better play on the perimeter from the Wolfpack defense, which slipped up many times in the second half against Georgia Tech. That led to the Pack's problems with swinging the momentum in its direction.

"We just tried to find an answer, just respond," Lubin said. "Just trying to cut the water off, go on runs, and just limit them to go on runs as well. We just struggled to do that today."

Lubin and Washington — Jan 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Lamar Washington (1) celebrates a win during the second half of the game against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Wolfpack was outmuscled on the glass. The Yellow Jackets outrebounded NC State 43 to 34, reversing a trend of Lubin and Co. improving in that statistical aspect. That allowed Georgia Tech to extend possessions and exhaust a leaking defense. While Lubin's motor kept running, the rest of the defense ran out of gas and answers when it mattered most.

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