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NC State holds off Georgetown, earns spot in Sweet 16

Mar 19, 2012 - 3:12 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Lorenzo Brown made three key free throws in the final 10.6 seconds, lifting the 11th-seeded NC State Wolfpack over the third-seeded Georgetown Hoyas, 66-63, in a third round Midwest Regional matchup.

Brown ended with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Wolfpack (24-12), who are heading back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.

C.J. Leslie, Scott Wood and C.J. Williams added 14 points apiece for NC State, which will play No. 2 Kansas next Friday.

It wasn't a 15 seed beating a No. 2 seed, like what happened twice on Friday, but the Wolfpack nevertheless pulled off another upset after topping sixth- seeded San Diego State in the round of 64.

"You never know what to expect in this tournament," said Brown. "A lot of great teams went down a couple of days ago. And we're just out here playing our best, and coach (Mark Gottfried) is a believer in us and we believe in ourselves."

Hollis Thompson had 23 points and five boards for the Hoyas (24-9), who were trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. Jason Clark and Otto Porter donated 10 and nine points, respectively.

Georgetown trailed for most of the game but almost made a comeback in the final minute.

Trailing by seven, 61-54, Thompson sparked a 7-1 flurry with a three-pointer. After Richard Howell made 1-of-2 from the line, Henry Sims put in a layup to cut the gap to three, 62-59, with 49.8 seconds to play.

The Hoyas had a chance to tie the game after Brown missed the front end of a one-on-one. Sims was fouled while driving to the hoop at the other end, and he made both foul shots to make it 62-61.

Wood made just 1-of-2 from the charity stripe on NC State's ensuing possession, making it a two-point contest with 35.7 ticks left on the clock.

Following a timeout, Porter rushed a shot from the baseline. Brown pulled down the defensive rebound and made two free throws to give the Wolfpack a 65-61 edge with 10.6 seconds to go.

Clark sprinted down the court and made a layup to keep Georgetown alive. Brown missed the second of two free throws at the other end. The Hoyas grabbed the rebound and had a chance to tie the game, but Clark's three-pointer found all air at the buzzer.

"I mean, I felt like it had a shot. But it was off," Clark said. "We pushed the ball up the court, tried to get a last shot. I felt like it had a chance, but it didn't."

Georgetown was in control for most of the first half, building a 25-15 lead on Greg Whittington's layup with 5:07 left.

But NC State changed the momentum with a 15-2 run to end the half. Williams tallied seven points during the burst, which Leslie capped with a slam for a 30-27 lead at the break.

The Wolfpack used a 9-2 spurt early in the second half to extend their margin. Leslie's free throw and layup made it a 43-32 game with 14:34 to play.

Thompson got the Hoyas back in the game with a personal 7-0 run, but NC State was able to stay in front.

Game Notes

NC State owns a 5-2 edge over the Hoyas in the brief all-time series between the two programs...The Wolfpack beat Connecticut in 2005 to reach the Sweet 16, before losing to Wisconsin...NC State went 19-of-31 from the foul line, while the Hoyas went 13-of-17 from the charity stripe...The Wolfpack outrebounded Georgetown by a 41-33 margin.