Raleigh, N.C. — Just when it seemed that Dereck Whittenburg was going to help N.C. State slay college basketball’s biggest giant – Virginia’s 7-foot-4-inch Ralph Sampson – the senior guard himself took a tumble.

He may have taken the 19th-ranked Wolfpack’s hopes for a more successful season with him.

Whittenburg, who scorched the Cavaliers for 27 points in the first half by making seven 3-pointers, went up for a jumper in the corner of the court at Reynolds Coliseum, but landed on the foot of Virginia point guard Othell Wilson.

He went down on the court, immediately knowing that he had suffered a serious injury, just as he had four years ago during his senior season at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., which forced him to miss seven weeks of his senior season.

Team doctor Don Reibel confirmed after the game that Whittenburg suffered a broken foot and could be lost for the season.

“With this type of injury, it’s going to be tough to get him back soon,” Reibel said. “These things tend to heel very slowly.”

When the 6-foot-1 guard departed, the Wolfpack was left without its best outside shooter and its fiery team leader, and the 16-point lead that had so entertained the howling, sell-out crowd of 12,400 slowly slipped away.