As a whole, the NC State bench may be lacking but the one super sub T.J. Warren, a freshman from Durham, was the difference in the Wolfpack’s 66-62 squeaker at home against Clemson.

Warren went nine of 11 in 25 minutes of playing time including a big three for 21 points and six rebounds. Only two other non-starters played for the Wolfpack and they managed zero points and zero rebounds in 10 minutes.

State seemingly had the game in hand up by eight at the half, 34-26, after scoring the first 10 points of the game and getting 14 points off the bench from Warren. But midway through the second half Clemson went on a modest 6-1 run to cut it to three at 46-43.

Clemson came all the way back to tie it at 43 with 3:37 to go on an old-fashioned three-point play by Tiger Rod Hall. State’s Richard Howell completed a three-point play himself to put the Pack up 60-57 with less than two minutes to play.

It stayed close the rest of the way but State would never trail again and wrapped it up on free throws in last 10 seconds by Scott Wood and Lorenzo Brown.