NC State basketball star Terquavion Smith injured in loss at UNC
In an outcome largely overshadowed by a scary injury to NC State basketball star sophomore guard Terquavion Smith, the Wolfpack fell short in a rivalry showdown to North Carolina, 80-69 in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Yet, the status of Smith was forefront in everyone’s minds.
Smith was fouled by UNC super senior wing Leaky Black while driving to the basket. Black was ejected with a flagrant 2 foul, an announcement made after a lengthy delay in the game to attend to Smith, who injured his elbow and neck on the fall. Smith was attended to by trainers from both teams, and an orthopedic surgeon was also brought to the floor.
Eventually, Smith was taken off the court on a EMS stretcher and transported to a hospital. NC State head coach Kevin Keatts did not have an update post game.
Aside from the injury, the game largely dealt with one team getting to the free throw line much more frequently than the other. North Carolina came into Saturday leading the ACC, by a considerable margin, in attempted free throws. The Wolfpack was last in the league in sending opponents to the line.
Those two merged on Saturday in the form of North Carolina gaining a lopsided 39-12 advantage in free throws attempted. To make matters worse for NC State, UNC set a school record for best free throw percentage when attempting more than 30 shots at the line. The Heels, led by junior guard RJ Davis’s 14 for 14 effort at the line, made 36 attempts, or 92.3%.
Davis had a game-high 26 points despite attempting just 8 shots from the field.
NC State was a perfect 12 for 12 themselves, but the 24-point difference was too much.
North Carolina also dominated on the glass, outrebounding NC State 42-27. Senior center Armando Bacot set a new school record for double-doubles by notching 23 points and 18 boards. He made all 7 of his free throw attempts.
NC State was led by fifth-year senior center D.J. Burns Jr.’s 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting but was limited by picking up two quick fouls in the second half, sending him into foul trouble. Super senior guard Jarkel Joiner also had 18 points, but he was just 6 of 18 from the field.
Before leaving with his injury, Smith had 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Senior guard Casey Morsell also had 12 points, making 4 of 8 shots, including 3 of 5 three-pointers. Morsell fouled out late in the game.
NC State started strong, leading 20-12, before UNC battled back to take a 1-point lead at halftime.
NC State basketball falls to 15-5 on the season overall and is 5-4 in the ACC. The Pack returns to PNC Arena in Raleigh on Tuesday evening to face Notre Dame. The game is a 7 p.m. tipoff on ACC Network.
