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DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. - Tracy Smith's seventh offensive rebound of the
night was the biggest, as Smith's put back with just 1.3 seconds left
gave the Pack a 60-58 win over Auburn making the Pack champions of the
Glenn Wilkes Classic with a perfect 3-0 record on the weekend.
Smith finished with his second double-double in the tournament with 11
points and 15 boards and was named MVP, while Dennis Horner was named to
the all-tournament team as he finished with 16 points against Auburn.
"There is no better way to learn how to win a close game than this,"
said NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. "We gave great effort the whole
night, we kept coming back with fight. We talk about loose balls all
the time, and Tracy's basket at the end was a prime example of how we
tell them they have to always fight."
NC State built on its one-point halftime lead, opening the second half on a 13-3 run to push the score to 39-28 with 15:39 left.
Auburn responded right after the timeout, with a 13-2 run to capture
the lead at 43-41, its first lead since the first half. The Tigers
would be their lead to 49-43 before back-to-back Pack three-pointers
evened the score with 3:59 left.
The score would remain close into the final minute. Smith converted an
old-fashioned three-point play with 50.0 seconds left to go up 57-56.
After a Javier Gonzalez free throw, Auburn tied the score with 12.4
seconds remaining. It was then Smith who came through in the end.
The two teams traded backets over the first 11:59 of the game, but the
Pack would go on an 8-0 run and capture a 16-8 lead with 9:13 left.
NC State would increase the lead to 20-11, but the Tigers would put
together a 9-0 run and even the score up at 20-20 with 3:32 left.
The Pack would score the final four points of the half, and take a slight 26-25 lead at the half.
NC State shot just 26.7 percent (8-30) in the opening half, but pulled
down 11 offensive rebounds and scored 11 second chance points. The Pack
would also make 8-of-10 free throws in that first half, compared to
Auburn converting just 1-of-7 from the line.
The Pack will return to home action next weekend, when NC State will host New Orleans on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the RBC Center.
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Courtesy: Mark McIntyre
