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NC State shoots past Virginia Tech

Feb 19, 2007 - 1:40 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Engin Atsur helped North Carolina State complete a sweep of Virginia Tech.

Atsur scored 20 points, including 10 during a decisive run early in the second half, and added seven assists to lead the Wolfpack to an 81-56 victory over No. 25 Virginia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference action.

Ben McCauley added 16 points and Gavin Grant had 15 as five players scored in double figures for North Carolina State, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Wolfpack (14-11, 4-8 ACC) shot 67 percent (32-of-48) for the game, starting each half 11-of-12 from the floor, in preventing Virginia Tech from moving into a tie for first place in the conference.

North Carolina State also defeated the Hokies, 70-59, in Blacksburg on January 31.

"We executed extremely well. We were patient, set our screens, and took good shots," said coach Sidney Lowe. "We got each other open shots. ... When you're clicking like that, it's nice to see."

Behind Atsur's outside shooting and five points from freshman Brandon Costner, the Wolfpack extended a 12-point halftime lead to 71-41 with 11 1/2 minutes left. Costner finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

"The best thing (Atsur) did was keeping control of the tempo of the game. It allowed us the opportunity to get the shots we needed," said Lowe.

Virginia Tech (18-8, 8-4) shot a respectable 48 percent (25-of-52) but could not keep up with the blistering pace set by NC State. Leading scorer Zabian Dowdell, coming off a 33-point effort against North Carolina, was held to just nine points.

"Courtney [Fells] took guarding (Zabian) Dowdell as a challenge," Lowe said. "When you're focused like that, not on offense but stopping him, it was tough but he did a good job."

The Hokies previously posted road victories in North Carolina against Duke and North Carolina.

"I understand the big picture. We'll learn from this loss," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "I also know we've played six of the last eight on the road, and we've come down here twice in the last 72 hours."