Wooten: Wolfpack drops fifth straight

RALEIGH — Answers to the two trends defining its season were being provided.

Then came the haymaker. Again.

N.C. State lost to Florida State 83-81 on Saturday afternoon in PNC Arena. The Wolfpack led by as much as seven in the final 12 minutes, got buzz-sawed 16-4 over a six-minute stretch, then fell to 0-3 in the ACC and .500 for the season.

“I don’t want these guys, because they’re young, to be surprised they’re in that situation,” Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts said of yielding another second-half surge by the opponent. “Sometimes, the tendency is to relax. I want them to keep their foot on the gas.”

The Wolfpack (7-7) rallied from a five-point deficit to twice lead in the final three minutes. Down two points with possession and the final 10 seconds ticking, they got a timeout only to throw away the inbounds pass.

With eight seconds left the Seminoles went right on into the backcourt double-teaming Dereon Seabron, who had 32 points and was the target for the pass from Jericole Hellems. Terquavion Smith, who had 23 points, was available closer to the basket.

“If they double-teamed, Terquavion is wide open at the block,” Keatts said. “They made a better play at the defensive end.

“That’s one play. There’s a million plays in the game that could have been better.”

N.C. State, since Thanksgiving, has lost to Louisville by five giving up the final nine points, led then-No. 1 Purdue by double figures in the second half before losing in overtime, and yielded 17 of the last 19 points in an eight-point loss at Miami.

Plus, their humbling nonconference losses to Richmond and Wright State magnified the loss of low-post power Manny Bates in the season’s opening minutes.

“They drove us at the end of the game, and we didn’t do a good job of protecting our bigs,” Keatts said.

The roster has eight players either sophomores or freshmen. It is the first five-game skid in the Keatts era, and all five include opponents shooting better than 50 percent.

“I’m disappointed for our guys,” the fifth-year head coach said. “We’re playing so hard. A lot of times when you have young guys, and you play so hard and you don’t get the result, it can be deflating.”

The Seminoles, as expected, outscored the Wolfpack in the low post throughout 44-32. In the final analysis, N.C. State was done in both by their guests’ prowess in the paint and a failure to register a stronger finish, especially the last inbounds turnover.

“There were about 10 possessions that if we play a little more stingy, we win the game,” Keatts said. “If we can cut that down to three or four, we win the game.”

Their next chance is scheduled for Tuesday at Virginia Tech.