NC State basketball quick hits from 83-74 loss to Richmond

Quick hits and notes from NC State basketball in its 83-74 loss to Richmond at Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Friday afternoon.

Play Of The Game

In desperate need of a stop, NC State was unable to defend a play that gave it trouble throughout the night.

Former Princeton forward Chris Mooney clearly incorporates principles of the famous offense from his playing days on his Richmond squad, and one of the staples is the backdoor cut. Several times the Spiders executed the play effectively on the Pack’s defense.

A crucial one came when Richmond was leading 74-71, and forward Nathan Cayo connected with point guard Jacob Gilyard all by himself at the basket for the layup with 1:22 left.

NC State never got the ball back within a single possession deficit again.

Highlight Of The Game

NC State basketball sophomore center Ebenezer Dowuona had three blocks in the game, one of which was rejecting Cayo at the rim in the first half on Cayo’s dunk attempt.

Player Of The Game

Richmond sixth-year senior center Grant Golden had 19 points, six rebounds and a pair of assists while sparking their offense, especially in the first half.

Golden made 8 of 15 shots from the field and the 56.5 percent free throw shooter made all three of his attempts from the charity stripe.

NC State Basketball Player Of The Game

Aside from free throws (see next note), redshirt sophomore wing Dereon Seabron continued to excel. He finished with yet another double-double, his seventh of the season, with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Seabron’s season averages are now 19.8 points and 10.8 boards per contest, and he is shooting 52.6 precent from the field. He was 8-of-16 shooting against the Spiders.

Not A Charity Stripe For NC State Basketball

Seabron was 4 of 10 at the free throw line, where he entered the game shooting 74.6 percent for the season. He was not alone in his struggles, however.

It is fair to say that NC State left too many points at the free throw line and that was a major reason why Richmond prevailed. In the second half, the Wolfpack was 15 of 26, or 57.7 percent.

Seabron started the half missing two straight free throws. Hellems missed a pair in a row when Richmond was winning 61-55. Seabron later missed a chance to tie the game on a three-point play with 8:30 remaining.

On the Pack’s next possession, following a made basket by Richmond to give the Spiders a 65-62 lead, freshman guard Terquavion Smith went 1 of 2 at the stripe.

Hellems then went 1 of 2 when Richmond was up 67-63 with 7:08 left.

Finally, with Richmond leading 74-70, NC State had four free throw attempts and went, between Seabron and Dowuona, collectively 1 of 4. That left the score at 74-71 with 1:43 remaining and set up Gilyard’s big layup.

For good measure, Seabron would shortly after that miss one of two free throws. Instead of being a one-possession game with 50.5 seconds left, it was 78-74.

Not Closing Games

After Hellems made a three-pointer with 7:26 left to put the Pack up 62-57 on Louisville earlier this month, the Wolfpack made just one field goal the rest of the game and was scoreless in the final three minutes.

Against Purdue, the Boilermakers ended regulation on a 12-4 run. NC State shot 2 of 7 from the field in that stretch and had a late turnover.

Trailing 72-70 to Richmond with three minutes left, the Pack was outscored 11-4 for the remainder of the game and did not make a field goal in that stretch.

What This NC State Basketball Loss Means

The Pack is 7-4 on the season while Richmond is also 7-4.

It is the first time in five meetings that NC State basketball has lost to Richmond.

The game was broadcast by ACC Network. Throughout the year, we’ll keep track of the Pack’s record on the different channels:

• ACC Network Extra: 3-0

• RSN: 2-0

• ESPNU: 1-0

• FloSports: 1-0

• ESPN2: 0-1

• ACC Network: 0-1

• CBS Sports Network: 0-1

• Big Ten Network: 0-1

We also track NC State’s records by month:

• November: 5-1

• December: 2-3

Other stats of note

• NC State won the turnover margin 10-7 but Richmond had a 9-6 advantage in points off miscues.
• Richmond had a 46-30 edge in points in the paint.
• NC State had the noticeable advantage in fast break points, 12-2.
• The Wolfpack had a 37-33 win on the boards overall and were 15-6 on the offensive glass. That led to an 14-3 advantage in second-chance points.
• Richmond’s reserves outscored NC State’s bench, 12-2.
• Defensively, NC State had three blocks and five steals. Richmond also rejected three shots and had five steals.
• NC State led for 14:31 and Richmond for 24:15. The game was tied for 1:14. There were three lead changes. Richmond’s largest lead was 10 points, and NC State’s was eight

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