Down 36-29 at the break, the Cougars rallied behind Caleb Lohner’s 16 second-half points. Lohner finished with a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Seneca Knight added 15 points. Terquavion Smith led the Wolfpack with 29 points.
“I’m incredibly proud of our guys for their resilience tonight,” said BYU head coach Mark Pope. “We knew this would be a tough game, but we never lost our focus.”
The victory marks BYU’s first over a Power Five opponent this season and improves their record to 7-3. It also extends their home winning streak to 12 games.
“It was a great atmosphere tonight,” said Lohner. “The crowd really gave us a boost when we needed it.”
NC State coach Kevin Keatts expressed disappointment in his team’s performance down the stretch. “We had some costly turnovers and missed some easy shots in the second half,” he said.
The game was marred by a technical foul called on Keatts late in the second half. The Wolfpack coach was penalized for arguing with officials over a charging call.
The win is a significant boost for BYU’s NCAA Tournament hopes. The Cougars are currently projected as an at-large team by most bracketologists.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but this is a big step in the right direction,” said Pope.
BYU will next travel to South Bend to face No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday. NC State returns home to host Wofford on Sunday.
