The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER the NCAA Tournament 71‑68 to advance to the Sweet 16. BEST COMEBACK WIN: Somewhat lost in the thrill of Anya's last‑second heroics against LSU was the fact that NC State trailed by 16 points to the Tigers at one point in the second half. Any rally like that would require some help, and LSU provided plenty of it. The Tigers missed their fi‑ nal 12 shot attempts from the field over the final 10:26 of the game and went just 5 of 13 from the free throw line in that stretch. Particularly damaging was LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey, who turned pro after the loss, misfiring on four straight free throws, the first two with 1:25 left and the next pair with 1:03 remaining, all of them with LSU up 65‑62. Anya had been scoreless in the game until he tapped in a missed three‑pointer from Turner with 46.2 seconds left to slice the Tigers' lead to 65‑64, setting up the game‑ winner. TOUGHEST LOSS: Sometimes teams can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. For NC State against Wofford in a Heritage Game at Reyn‑ olds Coliseum in Raleigh, it was the other way around. Lacey appeared to have hit a game‑winning three‑pointer at the buzzer, but replays con‑ firmed that the ball did not leave Lacey's fingertips until a split second after time had expired, giving the Terriers a 55‑54 upset. Making the loss sting even more was the fact that it was referee Karl Hess' first game officiating involving NC State since he famously ejected leg‑ ends Tom Gugliotta and Chris Corchiani, both sitting behind the scorer's table at the then‑ RBC Center, in 2012. Hess called a controversial technical foul early in the Wof‑ ford game, and he was the one who had the final ruling on Lacey's three‑pointer. BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE: Tu r n e r d i d s o m e t h i n g against Tennessee that only one Wolfpacker in school history topped: he made eight three‑ pointers en route to a career‑ high 33 points in an 83‑72 win over the Vols. Only former State guard Rodney Monroe made more threes in a game for the Pack with nine against UNC Asheville in 1989. The day following his per‑ formance against Tennessee, Turner graduated from NC State to top off a stellar week‑ end. BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: Sophomore point guard An‑ thony "Cat" Barber seemed in jeopardy of losing his starting job, but he turned a corner in his NC State career in the win at Georgia Tech. Although Lacey's buzzer‑beater grabbed the headlines, NCSU would not have been in that position had it not been for Barber. He set what was then a ca‑ reer high with 23 points while playing all 45 minutes. He made 9 of 12 shots, includ‑ ing 4 of 5 three‑pointers, and dished out seven assists while suffering just one turnover. He also had a pair of steals. Barber used that performance to cata‑ pult him to a strong finish. BEST DUNK: The season ended on a down note when NC State let a 39‑31 second‑half lead slip away against ACC foe Lou‑ isville in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in an even‑ tual 75‑65 defeat. Freshman wing Caleb Martin, though, still managed to supply a highlight moment late in the contest when he threw down a one‑handed dunk over the Cardinals' high‑flying junior forward Montrezl Harrell with 50.5 seconds left. BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BY AN OPPOSING PLAYER: Some may wonder how did NC State lose at ACC bottom‑ feeder Boston College. Junior guard Olivier Hanlan is the ex‑ planation. The first‑team All‑ ACC honoree, who left school after the season to turn pro, made 7 of 11 shots, includ‑ ing 3 of 4 three‑pointers, for 24 points to go with eight re‑ bounds and three assists in 35 minutes despite being saddled with four fouls. ■ BEST DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: Against Jacksonville at home, Anya blocked a school-record 10 shots in the game, including four in one possession alone. He finished the year with 91 blocks, earning him a spot on the ACC All-Defensive Team and the honor of the league's Sixth Man of the Year. He was four blocks shy of matching Thurl Bailey's single-season school record set during the 1983 championship season. Sophomore center BeeJay Anya blocked a school-record 10 shots in a home game against Jacksonville, and he finished the year with 91 blocks and earned a spot on the ACC All-Defensive Team. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ Interesting Factoid, Part II: The final USA Today coaches poll, which NC State cracked at No. 24 for its one and only appearance in the rankings all season, included four teams in the top 12 that the Pack defeated, three of them on the road. The home win was over top-ranked and eventual national champion Duke. NCSU also defeated No. 10 Louisville and No. 12 UNC on the road, and knocked off No. 9 Villanova on a neutral floor in Pittsburgh.