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NC State basketball score vs. Creighton: Live updates from March Madness in NCAA Tournament

monica holland and nick gray, the fayetteville observer
·5 min read
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NC State will look to score its first NCAA Tournament win under coach Kevin Keatts, and first since reaching the Sweet 16 in 2015 when it takes on Creighton on Friday (4 p.m., TNT).

The No. 11-seeded Wolfpack (23-10) have one of college basketball's most dynamic backcourts in Terquavion Smith (17.5 ppg) and Jarkel Joiner (17.1 ppg), and DJ Burns (12.8 ppg) is a strong anchor in the post. They've produced some impressive wins this season, most notably an overtime victory against Miami and a 24-point blowout of Duke.

The Wolfpack's first-round opponent is No 6-seeded Creighton (21-12), led by two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.2 bpg). South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman is also a handful, averaging 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds, with 13 double-doubles on the season.

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NC State basketball vs. Creighton live game score, updates in NCAA Tournament

Second half

FINAL: Creighton 72, NC State 63. Entertaining second half, but Wolfpack did not have enough help for Terquavion Smith, who had 32 points.

1:02 left: Scheierman hits a long 2, then Morsell steps on the end line before draining a corner 3. NC State down 69-61.

1:46 left: Terquavion Smith up to 32 points, but Creighton going to the line for free throws up 65-61.

2:23 left: Huge 3 by Creighton's Baylor Scheierman. Blue Jays by 7.

2:51 left: Smith has 28 points, as does Creighton's Kalkbrenner. Smith will be at the line after the final media timeout. Creighton 62, NC State 57.

4:46 left: OMG Terquavion Smith with the dunk.

5:37 left: A flurry NC State desperately needed coming out of the timeout. A Smith 3, a stop and a Jack Clark 3. Timeout Creighton. Wolfpack down 56-53.

6:40 left: Creighton 56, NC State 47. Wolfpack shooting 35% in the game and hasn't made a shot in about 3 and a half minutes. Kalkbrenner has 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Wolfpack have 2 assists on 19 made field goals.

8:12 left: Burns back in the game with four fouls.

9:06 left: Creighton starting to get some better looks near the rim, and it now has its largest lead at 53-46. NC State needs Smith to pick it up on the offensive end, as he's 2-7 in the second half.

10:38 left: Creighton 47, NC State 44. Creighton already in the bonus. Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner has 22 points and 7 rebounds.

Neither team shooting well from the perimeter, so both teams trying to get to the rim. Should be a fun final 10 minutes.

11:20 left: Smith up to 21 points, and this game has a much better flow in the second half. Creighton 45, NC State 44.

14:14 left: Burns is in for about 95 seconds before he picks up his fourth foul.

15:40 left: Ebenezer Dowuona picks up his third and fourth fouls quickly. NC State frontcourt in some foul trouble. Wolfpack lead 37-34.

16:09 left: NC State on an 11-2 run and leads 37-32. D.J. Burns just picked up his third foul on a pushoff while blocking out.

17:56 left: NC State is ahead on a Casey Morsell corner 3. 7-0 Wolfpack run.

First half

HALFTIME: Creighton 28, NC State 26. Smith with 14 of the Wolfpack's 26 points, doing the bulk of that work while going in and out of the game with two fouls.

2:06 left: Creighton's Mason Miller turns his ankle on a defensive closeout and has to be helped off the floor. Looked to be in quite a bit of pain. Miller, a freshman guard, doesn't play a lot but can hit the 3.

3:30 left: Creighton is 1-11 from 3, while NC State is 0-4 from behind the arc. Creighton 24, NC State 22.

4:57 left: Creighton trying to bother Terquavion Smith and it's not working. He has 10 points, annd NC State is hanging around, down 24-20.

8:44 left: Ryan Kalkbrenner and-1. D.J. Burns with his second foul. Creighton 18, NC State 12.

10:49 left: Neither team shooting well despite getting some decent looks. Creighton leads 13-8.

13:27 left: Smith returns into the game and has four quick points including an and-1.

15:35 left: Jarkel Joyner gets NC State on the board, but Creighton leads 7-2 at the first media timeout. Wolfpack started 1-9 from the floor.

18:16 left: Two quick fouls on Terquavion Smith, and to the bench he goes. Huge early development. NC State will need others to step up. Creighton leads 5-0 early.

Pregame: Baylor awaits the winner

NC State and Creighton will face Baylor, who beat UC Santa Barbara 74-56 earlier Friday behind a strong second half.

The Bears actually trailed by a point at halftime before the second half rally.

Should be a fun game in a few minutes between the Blue Jays and Wolfpack. Both teams starter-heavy and balanced.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State basketball score vs Creighton: Live updates in March Madness