N.C. State 70, Florida State 54

WASHINGTON (AP) Ilian Evtimov had five 3-pointers in the first half and scored 18 points, helping North Carolina State hold off Florida State 70-54 Thursday in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.<br> <br> Engin Atsur added 17 for the Wolfpack (18-12), who moved on to the quarterfinals and a rematch with Wake Forest. In the teams&#39; previous meeting earlier this week, Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul punched N.C. State&#39;s Julius Hodge in the groin, leading to a one-game suspension for Paul.<br> <br> Even though Paul won&#39;t be there Friday, the matchup is sure to be emotionally charged, particularly considering how the Demon Deacons won that game. Justin Gray hit a tying 3-pointer in the final minute, then Paul drove the length of the court in the final seconds for a runner to win it.<br> <br> That loss dropped the Wolfpack to 7-9 in the ACC, so even their dominating victory over the Seminoles (12-19) likely won&#39;t be enough to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.<br> <br> Hodge had 14 points and seven assists to help N.C State coach Herb Sendek improve to 12-8 in the ACC tournament. Point guard Tony Bethel left early in the second with an injury to his left leg, and his status for the rest of the season wasn&#39;t immediately clear.<br> <br> Anthony Richardson led the Seminoles with 16, but leading scorer Von Wafer had only two, 10 below his average.<br> <br> For Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton, the outcome at the MCI Center probably took him back to his days as coach of the Washington Wizards. He went 19-63 in his first season, then resigned after a long meeting with then-boss Michael Jordan.<br> <br> The Seminoles scored only 19 points in the first half two more than their previous low and shot 31 percent. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack took control, with Evtimov leading the way.<br> <br> The 6-foot-7 forward is the perfect piece for their Princeton-style offense, a deft ball handler and passer who has tremendous shooting range. He swished a 3 about a minute into the game to give N.C. State the lead for good at 3-0, and he added four more during the rest of the half to tie the school record for 3-pointers in an ACC tournament game.<br> <br> The Wolfpack stretched the margin to 24 points in the second half before the Seminoles used a furious rally to get to 59-51. Al Thornton capped the comeback with a putback before N.C. State finished off their fourth straight opening-round victory at the free throw line.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/3/139372