Box Score

State managed to keep pace with Duke in the second half but it was too little too late after another weak first half put the Pack well behind at the break.  State's defense could not muster up stops over any significant period of time and Duke kept them at arm's length through an early second-half run and ultimately made the entire exercise academic.  When the Blue Devils needed a response, they got one.  There just wasn't much for State to do with the Devils shooting well and grabbing a bunch of the shots they did miss. 

Sidney Lowe finally found traction with the big lineup that started the second half.  The Harrow-Wood-Leslie-Howell-Smith group fueled an 18-10 run that pulled NC State within six points in less than five minutes.  An 11-4 Duke run from there sealed the Pack's fate.

Oddly enough, that big lineup proved terrible on the defensive glass, as the Blue Devils grabbed nearly 58% of their second-half misses.  Duke's hot shooting continued, the second chances were many, and that made it all but impossible for the Wolfpack to close the gap.  State was down 12 with 10 minutes to go and finished the game down 14.  They never got closer than eight after that initial run.  When you score 1.4 points per possession in a half and a comeback feels impossible despite that effort, well...

Duke is a hell of a lot better than we are.  There isn't anything more to it.