In the first round of the women’s basketball ACC Tournament, the Pack suffered a heartbreaking 57-56 loss at the hands of the Virginia Tech Hokies on a last second jumper by way of junior forward Hannah Young.
Each team got off to slow starts in the first half, the game’s first basket wasn’t made until sophomore forward Jennifer Mathurin knocked down a three point basket for the No. 10 seeded NC State Wolfpack (16-14, 7-9 ACC) with 17:34 remaining in the half.
Then, No. 15 Virginia Tech (11-19, 1-15 ACC) fired back with a three of its own from sophomore guard Vanessa Panousis. From then on, the two sides began to find their rhythm.
The Pack was able to jump out to a 21-16 lead, the largest lead by either team on the half; however, the Hokies responded by going on a 6-0 run to take its first lead before the first break.
The two teams continued to go back and forth in a half that featured eight ties and seven lead changes, eventually ending the half in a 32-32 tie.
Sophomore guard Miah Spencer led NC State with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from both the field and the free throw line.
Panousis led all scorers with 13 points for Virginia Tech and three assists. Each team shot well in the first half, with the Pack shooting 12-of-23 from the field and the Hokies shooting 11-of-22.
The second half started off almost the same as the first, with teams struggling to score from the field, both sides went nearly six minutes without a basket.
NC Statefailed to convert from the field in the second half until Spencer was fouled on a jumper at the 12:16 mark. Spencer’s basket came in the midst of a 6-2 run that gave the Pack its largest lead of the game at 45-39.
“We missed shots. We missed layups and some open looks,” head coach Wes Moore said. “When you have a day like that, you’ve got to find a way to win otherwise.”
However, as they did earlier in the first half, the Hokies were able to claw their way back into the contest, gaining a 46-45 lead with 6:14 left in the game.
From then on, the game continued to shift back and forth with neither team gaining more than a four-point advantage.
It came down to the wire, but with Virginia Tech in possession and leading 55-53 with 26.8 seconds remaining, the Hokies were in control.
With the shot clock winding down, Spencer got fouled hitting a jumper with 15.6 seconds left. She proceeded to hit the free throw, giving the Pack a 56-55 lead.
Then Young beat the buzzer with a game-winning jumper for the Hokies.
“After the three point play, I felt like we were going to dig down on defense and not let them score and not have a good open look,” Spencer said. “There was too much pressure on us defensively and we weren’t able to get very many open looks.”
Panousis was the biggest issue for NC State all game, racking up team highs with 19 points and eight assists. Spencer had a stellar game for the Pack with 19 points, two assists and two steals, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to secure a victory. NC State shot just 5-of-19 in the second half.
“I just wanted to win this game for Len’Nique, since this was her last year,” Spencer said. “But what I took from this game is that you have to start a game with a lot of intensity and a lot of urgency. Anybody can win a game, anybody can be beaten, so you just have to come in ready to play for 40 minutes, not just 20.”
