Late basket gives North Carolina State first tournament win in 3 years

PITTSBURGH — LSU couldn’t hit foul shots down the stretch to save its life and North Carolina State took advantage.

A hook shot in the lane by sophomore BeeJay Anya with 0.1 of a second on the clock lifted the Wolfpack to a 66-65 victory on Thursday night, their first NCAA Tournament win in three years. The fifth one-point game of the day set an NCAA Tournament record.

LSU took a 14-point lead into halftime and led by double digits for the first 11 minutes of the second half before N.C. State made its run.

The Tigers went quiet during a five-minute span and a 10-0 Wolfpack spurt that featured seven points by sophomore Kyle Washington made it 62-58 with 5:54 remaining. N.C. State closed to three points in the final two minutes and had several looks at game-tying 3-pointers that wouldn’t fall.

But LSU imploded down the stretch, missing five free throws in the final three minutes, including a crucial pair by sophomore forward Jordan Mickey with 1:03 remaining.

Anya scored the final four points of the game, tipping in a missed shot with 44 seconds to play before his winning layup on a tough move in the lane as the clock wound down. Those were his only four points of the game.

Mickey and forward Jarell Martin combined for 19 points and 13 rebounds in the first half, which saw LSU take a 40-26 lead thanks in large part to the effort up front.

The 235-pound sophomores finished with a combined 28 points and 25 rebounds but couldn’t close the deal in key moments down the stretch.

The Wolfpack had an 18-15 lead midway through the opening half before the two big men started to assert themselves. A 6-0 run by the duo put LSU on top 25-20.

Martin and Mickey scored the Tigers’ final nine points of the half, with each throwing down a dunk in the final two minutes to ignite the crowd.

NOTES: North Carolina State made its the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wolfpack lost in the Round of 64 each of the past two years after making it to the Sweet 16 in 2012-13. … LSU made it to the tournament for the first time under coach Johnny Jones. The Tigers’ last appearance was 2009, and they hadn’t won an NCAA game since making the Final Four in 2006. … Jones, who was the head coach at North Texas from 2001-12, is a LSU alum who played on a Final Four team in 1981. He was on the staff at LSU in various capacities from 1984-1997. … North Carolina State’s Mark Gottfried is one of just three coaches in ACC history to take his first four teams to the NCAA Tournament. The others are Roy Williams and Skip Prosser.

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