For the second game in a row, the No. 4 NC State women’s basketball team dropped a close game at home, this time falling 65-61 to Georgia Tech at Reynolds Coliseum. The loss comes just three days after losing to Louisville and puts a serious cloud of uncertainty around the Wolfpack just a couple weeks away from the ACC Tournament. Here are some of the key numbers from NC State’s loss.
13 – Points scored by Georgia Tech guard Francesca Pan in the third quarter on 6-of-7 shooting. In a turning point for the game after the Wolfpack had taken a lead into the half, senior guard Aislinn Konig had trouble containing the Italian guard as Pan torched the Pack in the second half, leading to Georgia Tech’s largest lead of the game at 11.
7 – Straight points scored by junior forward Kayla Jones in the third quarter. Jones managed to single-handedly reignite the Wolfpack offense after the team fell behind by 11 points in the second half. Jones did not miss a shot during this stretch and sparked the crowd inside Reynolds Coliseum.
3 – 3-pointers made by the Wolfpack in the game. The Wolfpack’s range was not shown in the game, with the team only able to muster a total of 13 shots taken from downtown. This was due in part to Konig’s cold offensive day, but the Pack has numerous players outside of Konig that are capable of catching fire from deep, and the Yellow Jackets simply shut down the perimeter.
0 – Points scored in the game by Aislinn Konig. Konig suffered one of the worst offensive games of her career, finishing with zero points and four misses. Pan was her defensive assignment for a large chunk of the third quarter and game, and Pan finished with 30 points, attacking Konig’s defense.
14 – Turnovers committed by the Wolfpack as it struggled all afternoon to figure out the Georgia Tech defense. The Yellow Jackets came into the game one of the best defensive teams in the ACC and proved just that, frustrating NC State all game long.
92 – Games since Konig has scored zero points. The last time Konig went scoreless in a game was the second game of her sophomore year, and this is only the fifth time in her career that she has gone scoreless. Three of those games came at the end of her freshman season, when she returned from an injury.
Minus-15 – Plus/minus for sophomore Elissa Cunane. The Pack’s superstar center had a good game, scoring 17 points on 4-for-8 shooting, but against Georgia Tech’s fast and athletic starting five, Cunane was forced to the bench for over half the fourth quarter while her team mounted a comeback.
Junior guard Kai Crutchfield dribbles the ball down the court during the game against Georgia Tech at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. The Wolfpack lost to the Yellow Jackets 65-61.
