The Wolfpack women were able to catch the Tar Heels napping as the Pack pulled out its first signature win of the season against rival No. 13 North Carolina in an 88-72 contest.
White stole the show for the Wolfpack by dropping 14 of her 23 points in the second half. Four other State players, Burke, Kastanek, Strachan and junior Bonae Holston all scored in double digits. White also added six assists. The Pack’s excellent care of the ball also helped them secure the victory as the team only turned the ball over four times, all-time low for the Pack.
“We’ve been telling our all kids to hang in there, we were going to get a big win, to keep on fighting, it was going to happen,” coach Kellie Harper said. “I thanked them after the game, I thanked them for believing and having faith in what our staff was saying, and it finally paid off tonight. “
The game started as a close contest with State getting its first lead off of a put-back from freshman forward Kody Burke to put the score at 6-4. It continued to be a seesaw battle until a three from freshman guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman gave the Wolfpack its first double-digit lead at 35-24 with five minutes left in the first half.
The first half proved to be a collective effort for State on the offensive end. Senior Brittany Strachan led the way with 10 points for the half and senior Amber White and Burke were also able to contribute with nine each for the half.
UNC was able to bring the game within single digits at sparing moments at the end of the first half, but the Pack was able to hold the Heels off and keep a double digit lead heading into the half.
The Tar Heels proved early on in the second half that they were not going to go down without a fight, possibly giving Pack players bad memories of the game against Duke earlier in the season, where it blew a double digit lead in the second half. And those memories began to come true when Waltiea Rolle hit a layup to cut the deficit to two points, followed by two consecutive threes from She’la Whie, giving the Heels a 55-52 lead.
But White said the team never had any doubts about its ability to pull off the win.
“When we came back into the huddle after the first media, same thing I tell the team every time it’s a game of runs,” White said. “They’re going to make their run; we’re not going to hold them to zero points. We just have to do the things that got us our lead and make our run. “
But the Wolfpack stormed back. A layup from freshman Breezy Williams and a three from Strachan gave the Wolfpack the lead at 57-55. Later, a free throw from Goodwin-Coleman took the lead back up to double digits at 69-59, securing the victory for the Pack.
The N.C. State faithful put the final touch on this win as the students began to storm the court to celebrate the victory.
“It was exciting,” Holston said. “I waited until the clock got to 0:00 to celebrate because I wanted to stay focused. After that it was a great when the students stormed the court.”
The Wolfpack Women will be returning to Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday to take on the Boston College Eagles on Senior Night.
