North Carolina State Wolfpack Overcomes Texas Longhorns in Elite Eight Showdown
The North Carolina State Wolfpack, ranked 11th, secured a hard-fought victory over the 4th-ranked Texas Longhorns with a final score of 76-66. The Wolfpack now boasts an impressive record, while the Longhorns' record takes a hit after this encounter.
From the opening quarter, the North Carolina State team set a strong pace with 19 points against Texas's 14. They continued their offensive momentum into the second quarter by adding another 24 points to their tally. Although they slowed down in the third quarter with just 14 points, they finished strong by matching their first-quarter performance and putting up another 19 points in the fourth.
The Wolfpack's shooting was efficient throughout the game; they achieved a field goal percentage of 45 and were particularly effective from beyond the arc, hitting half of their three-point attempts. Their free-throw line performance was also solid at a rate of 76 percent success.
Defensively, North Carolina State made its presence felt by accumulating seven blocks and six steals during play. The team also demonstrated good ball distribution with a total of sixteen assists. Despite committing eleven turnovers equal to that of player turnovers, they maintained an assists turnover ratio of about one and half times better than lost possessions.
On individual performances for NCST, contributions across various facets were notable – from scoring inside paint where they notched up twenty-four points to capitalizing on fast-break opportunities which earned them sixteen points. They managed to grab thirty-one rebounds; twenty-six personal rebounds contributed significantly to this effort along with twenty-three defensive boards ensuring limited second-chance opportunities for Texas.
The Longhorns fought valiantly but struggled from long range only making one out of six three-point attempts resulting in seventeen percent accuracy. They excelled in scoring within paint totaling forty-four points and outrebounded NCST with forty-four rebounds including an impressive sixteen offensive ones which led to eighteen second-chance points.
Despite these efforts by Texas and leading at times during play as indicated by five lead changes throughout the contest, it wasn't enough against NCST's balanced attack on both ends court that ultimately led them victory at Moda Center in Portland before nearly nineteen thousand fans.
Looking ahead for North Carolina State Wolfpack fans is another exciting matchup as their team will face off against South Carolina Gamecocks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse located Cleveland Ohio on April fifth scheduled for five o'clock Eastern Time broadcasted ESPN network viewership enjoyment.