Barber helps NC State beat LSU 83-72 in OT

Ben Simmons did not impact the game with his shooting. His passing might have had even more of an impact if LSU was able to make more plays.
He had 10 assists and 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double, but the 22nd-ranked Tigers were handed an 83-72 loss by N.C. State Tuesday night in the consolation game of the Legends Classic.
Simmons became the eighth LSU player in the last 42 years to get 20 points and 20 rebounds Monday against Marquette but with N.C. State constantly crowding the paint, he turned into more of a passer than a shooter.
The Australian, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft and had 51 NBA personnel in attendance Monday, missed his first five shots before hitting a layup with 38 seconds remaining in regulation that forged a 65-65 tie. He missed the subsequent foul shot and was a non-factor after regulation, fouling out in the first minute of overtime.
“I think that’s what probably people have to learn to appreciate being that he has the ability to impact the game in a lot of different ways,” LSU coach Johnny Jones said. “Every night he’s not going to come out and score, a lot of people are going to devise maybe to try and take him away. When you look at 10 assists, it could have been more.”
Even though Simmons was more of a passer than a shooter, it did not help LSU, which shot 36 percent. Tim Quarterman led the Tigers with 19 points while Brandon Sampson came off the bench and added 18.
LSU rallied from a 12-point deficit early in the second half but could not make the plays in overtime, getting outscored by an 18-7 margin.
The Wolfpack never trailed after Abdul-Malik Abu scored on the first possession of overtime though the next few minutes were not easy.
“I’m proud of all of them,” Gottfried said. “We’re here to win but at the same time we’ve got to learn how to become a good basketball team and tonight we took a big step forward.”
LSU was within 73-72 on a 3-pointer by Sampson with 1:50 remaining but nearly a minute later, Cody Martin drove for a layup and a 75-72 edge. After Quarterman missed a layup, Maverick Rowan converted a layup with 38 seconds remaining to ice it.
“I think we just had a couple of breakdowns on defense,” Quarterman said.
Anthony “Cat” Barber led five in double figures for N.C. State, getting 12 of his 20 points at the foul line. Caleb Martin added 16.
TIP-INS
LSU: Sampson, a freshman, came off the bench for the first time after shooting 32.4 percent (12 of 37) in his first four games. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Jalyn Patterson, who had shot 21 percent (6 of 17) in the first four games. ... Quarterman needs two assists to become the 31st player to reach 200 assists in school history.
N.C. State: Tuesday was a rematch of last year’s NCAA second round tournament game, which the Wolfpack won by a 66-65 margin on BeeJay Anya’s last-second shot. ... Caleb Martin was shaken up briefly with about six minutes remaining in the first half when he took an elbow to the face by LSU center Elbert Robinson III. Martin stayed in the game and hit a 3-pointer a few possessions later, finishing with 16 points.
PHENOMENAL BARBER
Barber had a trip to remember to New York as he scored 42 points and made 24 of 26 free throws in the two games. Barber played 43 minutes Tuesday and also had seven rebounds with seven assists a night after playing 37 minutes — a performance Gottfried described as “phenomenal.”
UP NEXT
LSU travels to Charleston on Monday
N.C. State hosts Winthrop on Friday