Dereon Seabron scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half to lead N.C. State to a 68-63 victory over host Virginia Tech on Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va.
It was the first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season for the Wolfpack (8-7; 1-3 ACC) and snapped their five-game losing streak..
Terquavion Smith scored 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field and 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. Smith also grabbed seven rebounds. Jericole Hellems added 15 points on 6 of 16 shooting for the Wolfpack.
Seabron shot 8 of 14 from the field and added a team-high 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack, who shot 44.1 percent (26 of 59) from the field and 37.5 percent (9 of 24) from beyond the arc, in addition to outrebounding the Hokies 36-26
Keve Aluma had a team-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists for the Hokies (8-6, 0-3), with Storm Murphy adding 14 points and Naheim Alleyne and Hunter Cattoor adding nine points apiece.
The Hokies shot 43.4 percent (23 of 53) from the field, including 34.8 percent (8 of 23) from beyond the arc.
Trailing 33-29 at halftime, the Wolfpack opened the second half on an 23-10 run during which they went 9 of 12 from the field, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc to take a 50-43 lead on Hellems’ lay-up with 12:29 left in the game.
Virginia Tech responded by going on a 14-8 run to pull within 58-57 on Cattoor’s 3-pointer with 5:52 left before Justyn Mutts’ layup on the Hokies next possession gave them a 59-58 lead with 4:54 left.
But N.C. State responded with a jumper by Ebenezer Dowuona and two Seabron free throws to take a 62-59 lead, one it wouldn’t relinquish with 2:17 remaining.
N.C. State outrebounded Virginia Tech 36-26, and 14 of those boards came off the offensive glass, which the Wolfpack turned into 16 second-chance points.
The Hokies are off until Jan. 12. They’ll aim to avoid suffering a third straight loss, facing rival Virginia on the road. N.C. State will host Clemson on Saturday.
–Field Level Media