THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603080743
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GREENSBORO LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
It was the play-in that played on. And on.
N.C. State and Florida State met Thursday night for the right to enter the ACC tournament bracket and face top-seeded Georgia Tech today at 2:30 p.m.
Sixty fouls, 79 free throws, and two game-delaying shot clock malfunctions later, N.C. State left the court an 80-65 winner.
``It was not easy,'' coach Les Robinson said. ``I didn't think that game was every going to end.''
It almost didn't get started. N.C. State (15-15) ran off to a 5-0 lead, but then the Greensboro Coliseum shot clock in malfunctioned, and stayed on the fritz for 16 minutes.
The teams warmed up again, and when the clock came back on, the Wolfpack didn't miss a beat, running to a 19-0 lead five minutes into the game.
That, for all practical purposes, was the ballgame. Florida State finally scored with 14:12 left in the half, and pulled within 14 at halftime. But the Seminoles (13-14) played so ineffectively that, glancing at the scoreboard, it was hard to believe they kept the margin near a dozen the rest of the way.
Florida State shot 28 percent from the floor, 12 percent from 3-point range. Starting center Kirk Luchman played just 12 minutes before fouling out in the second half. Power forward Corey Louis lasted 22. Reserve forward Tim Wooden picked up his five fouls in just 16 minutes.
Meantime, the clock shot malfunctioned again, this time for eight minutes. In between delays, N.C. State marched to the free throw line 51 times. They made just 30.
For the embattled Robinson, the final tally on the scoreboard was a sight he'd waited four years to see. The Wolfpack was 0-3 in play-in games before Thursday's breakthrough.
``We're going to go to bed tonight feeling as good about ourselves as we have in a long time,'' Robinson said.
N.C. State players have insisted that if they could just get past the play-in game, they'd be good to go. They'll find out against 20-10 Georgia Tech.
``This gets us over the hump,'' Wolfpack center Todd Fuller said.
By evening's end, no one was looser than Robinson. After his press conference, someone casually told Robinson they'd see him tomorrow.
The coach paused.
``It sounds unusual to hear that,'' he said. ``See you tomorrow.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot
N.C. State's Danny Strong fights Florida State's Randell Jackson for
a rebound. The Wolfpack scored the first 19 points.
by CNB