Brown, Wood help No. 20 NC State past Georgia Tech

Raleigh, NC – Lorenzo Brown scored 21 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed five rebounds, while Scott Wood added 20 points as No. 20 North Carolina State used a big second half to down upset-minded Georgia Tech, 83-70.

A game that was nip-and-tuck into the latter stages of the second half turned fast in the Wolfpack's direction thanks to Brown and Wood, who drained a pair of late 3-pointers in the game-deciding stretch.

"We did a nice job getting the ball where we wanted it late. We made some really big shots. Scott Wood obviously had a couple and Lorenzo (Brown) made some too," North Carolina State head coach Mark Gottfried said.

C.J. Leslie added 19 points with seven rebounds and freshman Rodney Purvis donated 13 points in the win.

The Wolfpack (13-2, 2-0 ACC) showcased their depth in their ninth straight win. They went over the 80-point plateau despite a scoreless showing from freshman T.J. Warren, who came into the game averaging 13.4 points per game.

Daniel Miller led Georgia Tech (10-4, 0-2) with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Mfon Udofia added 13 points and Robert Carter Jr. recorded 12 points and seven rebounds. The Yellow Jackets were playing a true road game for the first time since late November.

"We knew how well we had to play and I thought we did a good job for about 32 minutes," Georgia Tech head coach Brian Gregory said.

The visitors quickly built a 7-2 edge on Carter's layup just over 2 1/2 minutes in. The margin grew to as many as seven points, but North Carolina State stormed back with a 10-2 scoring stretch capped by Brown's 3-pointer for a 16-15 lead.

The two teams exchanged small leads for the better part of the half, but the Wolfpack stretched the edge out to 30-26 on two Tyler Lewis free throws nearing the 3 1/2-minute mark. Georgia Tech fought back, however, scoring the half's final five points with Chris Bolden's trey giving it a 38-37 advantage.

The Yellow Jackets continued to fight, knotting the contest at 43-43 on Carter's 3-pointer with just over 16 minutes to play. Eventually, however, the Wolfpack ratcheted up the defense and found some easy points in transition.

Wood's trey gave the home team a 56-55 lead and Purvis' 3-pointer in transition shortly afterward opened up a 61-56 edge with 5:43 to go. Wood lined up and connected from long range again moments later for a 66-60 advantage, and a few empty trips left the young Yellow Jackets reeling.

Brown's jumper and Woods' two free throws expanded the lead to 70-60 with just over three minutes to go, and Georgia Tech couldn't find the bottom of the net enough to make a dent in the margin.

Game Notes

North Carolina State leads the all-time series, 52-37, and has won three of the last four meetings ... Georgia Tech was giving up just 54.2 points per game entering the contest, but the Wolfpack passed that number with 7:11 to play when Wood drained a 3-pointer for a 56-55 lead.