NC State Falls Late To #16 Louisville

Thursday, January 7

Raleigh, NC

7 PM

NC State

10-5, 0-2

Louisville

13-2, 2-0

Louisville

NC State

1/7/2016 9:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

VISITOR COACH QUOTES | COACH GOTTFRIED QUOTES | PDF BOX SCORE

RALEIGH – The NC State men's basketball team fell short in the game's final minute against No. 16/16 Louisville 77-72 on Thursday night at PNC Arena.

Key Stats: Anthony 'Cat' Barber led the way for the Wolfpack with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds. Abdul-Malik Abu his sixth double-double of the season, netting 15 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. The Wolfpack scored 43 points and shot 45 percent in the second half after shooting just 27 percent in the first 20 minutes.

Maverick Rowan added 17 points on 4-for-8 shooting from behind the arc. As a team, the Wolfpack made eight 3-pointers, the second-highest total of the season.

Photos from Thursday night's game vs. Louisville
Posted by NC State Basketball on Thursday, January 7, 2016

Turning Point: After trailing by 16 with 3:38 remaining in the game, the Wolfpack produced a furious comeback attempt to cut the lead to three with 17 seconds remaining in the game.

NC State rattled off 12 straight points over the course of a 17-4 run to bring the score to 75-72. The Pack had a shot to tie the game, but lost the ball during its possession. Louisville iced the game with a pair of free throws with four seconds left in the game.

Gott Said It: "My first thought is that I'm proud of our effort and I'm proud of our guys. They never quit and they gave themselves a chance. I believe that we are a team that's not far off. We are close but we aren't there yet. You've got to give Louisville credit, they made every big shot that they had to make. It seemed like every time we made a run and got the momentum, they answered with a big shot. They had an answer for everything it seemed like. Our kids played hard and we can get better. We aren't far off and I like my team. We are going to stay positive and keep working and improving. We had some key defensive breakdowns at key times. In the second half, we moved the ball much better and the offense moved a lot better. We have got to be a better foul shooting team and that's one of those things that is hard to fix. We aren't far off; we are a good team that has to find a way to get over the hump."

Up Next: The Pack travels to Wake Forest Sunday, Jan. 10 for an 8 p.m. tip. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.