North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Maryland
Pack Flattens Terps in ACC Opener, 79-74
1/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2012
Photo Gallery 
| Photo Gallery - Mark McIntyre
Photo Gallery | Box Score 
| Box Score | Postgame Notes | Quotes
RALEIGH, N.C. - Behind a 20-point, 11-rebound performance from C.J. Leslie, and some clutch free throw shooting by Scott Wood down the stretch, NC State opened ACC play with a gritty 79-74 win over Maryland at the RBC Center Sunday.
"It was exciting tonight and our fans were amazing, a good team effort," said NC State head coach Mark Gottfried. "A lot of guys did different things at key times. I thought that was the one key thing for us was defensively we were really solid at the right times. We gave up too many threes that's something we talked about. They scored nine baskets from behind the line; they had five at the half. For the bulk of the second half, we took away the three point shot."
Leslie led the Wolfpack in both rebounds and points for his second double-double of the season, and represented one of four State players in double figures. Wood followed with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 showing from the line to surpass Rodney Monroe's record of 43-consecutive made free throws.
Lorenzo Brown scored 11 points on an efficient 4-of-7 night, and filled up the stat sheet with seven boards and a team-leading nine assists. Richard Howell's 10 points rounded out the Pack players with 10 or more.
The Pack victory wouldn't be assured until the last few seconds as Maryland narrowed the margin to 77-74 with under three seconds left, but Wood's 6-of-6 performance from the line kept State's lead intact and pushed Wood into the record books. Wood's streak now sits at 47 which trails J.J. Redick's ACC record by seven.
NC State maintained a lead of at least three, but no more than nine, through the first 13 minutes of the second half, with the Terps trimming the lead to one possession three times at 42-39, 54-51, and 56-53. Leslie's tip-in at 6:03 pushed the Pack lead into double digits for the first time, part of an 11-0 run to take control of the game.
Maryland managed to cut the lead back to single digits with 2:42 to play, trailing 67-60 after a three-point play by Sean Mosley. Alex Len cashed in a leaner after an offensive rebound on the next possession to make it 67-62 with 1:45 remaining. Wood's 18-footer after a timeout put an end to the Terrapins' 9-0 run, making it 69-62 at 1:30.
A 9-2 run early helped the Pack establish a 15-8 lead at the 13:47 mark. Maryland rallied with long range shooting, making three of their next four attempts to eventually grab a 26-24 lead with 5:45 to play in the half. The Terps would finish the half on a 50 percent clip from three, going 5-of-10 over the opening frame.
The Wolfpack answered with six-straight to jump ahead 30-26 at the under four timeout. From there, the Terrapins evened the score before another run of six from State to take a 36-30 lead into the locker room.
Leslie and Wood combined for 19 of NC State's 36 first half points. Wood pitched in seven, while Leslie led the way with 12 to go with his team-leading seven first half rebounds. Brown scored six and dished four assists to lead the Pack in that category.
