NC State was within striking distance of No. 14 Virginia late in the second half Wednesday night but ultimately fell short 64-57.

The Wolfpack (7-7, 3-6 ACC) held a one-point lead over the Cavaliers (12-3, 8-1 ACC) with 6:22 remaining, but a 12-2 UVA run put the Pack behind by nine points with 3:19 to go.

NC State was able to shrink the lead down to four with just over a minute to play but was never able to pull closer than that down the stretch.

"We're getting better, but I got some young guards that need experience and once they get experience and continue to play, they're going to be really good basketball players," Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts said. "We're hoping that it happens sooner than later. That's just the reality of what we're dealing with this year.”

Most of NC State’s offensive success Wednesday night can be accredited to junior forward Jericole Hellems, who scored more than 20 points for the second-straight game.

Hellems led the team with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including a 3-of-6 mark from behind the three-point line. He also finished the night with five rebounds and one steal.

The 6-7, 205-pounder played a team-high 37 minutes in the loss but fouled out in the final minute when the Pack was forced to send Virginia to the line in a two-possession contest.

“He's playing well,” Keatts said. “He's doing everything that we asked him to do. He's playing like a junior, he's playing like a guy who's been in the program for three years. He's gotten better, he works at it. He's a hard worker. The kid's done everything that we've asked him to do, and you've seen his game get better since he was a freshman.”

Normally a team that relies on its backcourt for a bulk of the scoring production, 41 of NC State’s 57 points Wednesday night came from its frontcourt.

Fifth-year senior forward DJ Funderburk and redshirt sophomore center Manny Bates each finished with nine points. No other player scored more than five points individually.

“I've got to get a little bit more scoring from our guard position,” Keatts said. “For the second game in a row, basically, our bigs have been carrying us. Our team has shifted as far as who we are. When you look at the way Jericole Hellems is playing, you look at Manny, then DJ being able to come in and contribute today.

"We've got to get a little bit better scoring, we got to get some more scoring from our guard position because we lost so much from Devon Daniels.”

Funderburk struggled in the first half but scored all nine of his points in the second half on 3-of-4 shooting. Eight of those nine points came during a five-minute stretch in which the Wolfpack rattled off a 10-0 run, giving the Pack a one-point lead, its first since late in the first half, with just under seven minutes remaining.

Although Funderburk seemed to be getting into a rhythm, he was subbed out with 6:37 to go and did not return until the final 30 seconds of the contest.

“I felt like Manny was going to be the guy that was going to play,” Keatts said. “We wanted Manny in there. Obviously, DJ had scored, but I also wanted a guy that could be able to stop them from scoring. We needed to get stops to even get the ball back. I don't feel like I answer questions why so-and-so plays or not. Manny Bates has been playing tremendous for us. That was my decision, and my decision only.”

NC State made four more field goals than Virginia Wednesday night but was outscored 20-7 on the free-throw line.

The Cavaliers earned 22 attempts from the line, 10 more than the Wolfpack’s 12, but the difference was made starker by the efficiency of both teams.

“Give Virginia credit, they got the calls, they got there,” Keatts said.

The Pack made just 58 percent of its free-throw attempts compared to Virginia, who shot 91 percent from the strike.

“That definitely is something that wasn't a positive thing for us,” Senior guard Braxton Beverly said. “I'm not going to say that beat us because it's not like we were missing them down the stretch. Of course, we got to hit more, we got to shoot a percentage starting with me. That's something that can be fixed, something we can get in the gym, work on and build your confidence for.”

The disparity at the free-throw line was felt even more in the second half. NC State made five of its nine second-half free throw attempts while the Cavaliers shot 16-of-18 from the line in the final 20 minutes.

The Wolfpack was called for 13 fouls in the second half and lost its leading scorer when Hellems fouled out in the final minute.

“I thought the play that completely changed the game was I thought [Jay] Huff walked, and he got an and-one,”’ Keatts said. “I think that changed the game, it was 52-48, and I think about four minutes left in the game. That was a complete game-changer for us.”

NC State has struggled on the glass this season but outrebounded Virginia 31-24 in the loss.

Most of the damage by the Wolfpack was done on the offensive glass. The Pack reeled in 11 offensive rebounds compared to just three from the Cavaliers.

The problem for the Wolfpack, however, was that it wasn’t able to capitalize on those second-chance opportunities.

Despite the Pack earning eight more offensive rebounds than the Wahoos, both teams scored just two second-chance points Wednesday night.

“It's frustrating,” Keatts said. “I'll be the first to tell you, the kids are frustrated... This is an unusual year. We're going to go through ups and downs. We still got a lot of basketball to play, and we're still going to have some situations. Injuries are going to happen every year, but with COVID, anything can happen to you.

“We just got to figure out how to capitalize on our situation. I'm blessed that our guys are able to play games.”

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