RALEIGH — While there was no shortage of problems in NC State’s 78-74 loss to Georgia Tech, senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin wasn’t one of them. The ACC veteran handled a difficult head-to-head matchup with Yellow Jacket forward Baye Ndongo well and did his best to keep the Wolfpack in the fight as the game slipped away.
Lubin finished the loss with 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists, shooting 5-of-9 from the field. While he struggled from the free throw line, some of his defensive plays kept NC State afloat as Georgia Tech surged down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to hang on.
Lubin’s performance and thoughts on the loss
While Lubin has lit up the stat sheet with some rebounding and scoring performances, it was his work on the defensive end that was most impressive in the loss to the Yellow Jackets. His first block came in the first half when he tracked down Georgia Tech guard Lamar Washington in transition. Lubin took off and swatted Washington’s shot off the glass.
He came up with two more key blocked shots down the stretch in the second half, but couldn’t protect the paint from Georgia Tech’s relentless drivers. He struggled with paint touches early on, but was able to operate more cleanly in pick and roll situations as NC State adjusted the offense in the second half…