CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — For N.C. State, the timing was bad.
Virginia was playing at home Tuesday, coming off a loss, determined there would not be two in row. Losing to Virginia Tech ended the Cavaliers’ seven-game winning streak. That did not sit well and it would show in their intensity, with and without the ball.
In came N.C. State, confident, hot, having won four games in a row and eight of nine, after a 20th win. The Wolfpack, ranked this week, the talk of the ACC.
But the No. 8 Cavaliers were at their best, making the No. 22 Wolfpack look very average in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena in taking a 63-50 victory.
Virginia (18-4, 10-3 ACC) frustrated the Pack (19-6, 9-5) at every turn the first 20 minutes of the game, rolling up a 34-20 halftime lead. The Cavaliers, led by Jayden Gardner’s 18 points, pushed the lead to 20 in the second half before turning back a late push by the Wolfpack.
The Pack’s Terquavion Smith, who couldn’t locate his shooting touch in the first half, was better in the second and finished with 19 points.
Casey Morsell, who played two seasons for Virginia before transferring to NCSU, was booed by UVa fans in pregame introductions in his first game back in Charlottesville. The senior guard responded by scoring 18 points in another solid game for the Wolfpack.
But the Cavaliers doubled Pack big man D.J. Burns inside defensively, taking him away, limiting him to eight points, forcing him into mistakes. Guard Kihei Clark stayed tight to Jarkel Joiner, keeping the point guard in check -- Joiner had five points on 2-for-14 shooting.
Smith, the ACC’s leading scorer, like Joiner was coming off a five-point game against Georgia Tech that was his lowest offensive output of the season.
Against Virginia, Smith got his shots – 13 in the first half. Several were forced or off-balance attempts as NCSU coach Keven Keatts continues to allow the sophomore guard the opportunity to shoot when he wants, wherever he wants.
Keatts called a timeout in the final moments of the first half, as if wanting to see if the Pack could run an effective halftime set. Burns scored. Virginia led by 14.
Smith did begin to find the range in the second half, getting some 3’s to fall, but the Virginia lead was too big. The Cavaliers aren’t as deliberate offensively as they have been in other years but use up a lot of each possession hunting a good shot.
It was a nightmarish game for Burns, who has played so well and with such enthusiasm for the Pack this season. Loose before the game, he appeared tight in it, picking up a flagrant foul – Keatts upset with the refs about the call – in the second half.
The Pack was within 11 points in the second half, with the ball, only to have Smith make a bad pass to Morsell for a turnover. Virginia then got an open dunk from Reece Beekman, who had 15 points.
It was a 10-point game at the media break with 7:26 left in the second half. After the break, Burns scored inside and the Pack forced a bad shot, only to have Burns commit a turnover.
With Virginia leading 55-46, the Pack’s Greg Gantt had a chance at a dunk but had his shot blocked by Isaac McKneely.
