The No. 17 NC State women’s basketball team was knocked out the ACC Tournament in the quarterfinals by Louisville in heartbreaking fashion, 59-58, Friday in Conway, South Carolina.
This game, much like the last meeting, went right down to the wire. However, anyone who saw the first quarter would’ve guessed otherwise. State (22-8, 12-4 ACC) came out firing as it put up 28 points in the opening quarter of the game. The team’s offensive intensity was matched on the other end as it held the Cardinals (27-6, 12-4 ACC) to 18 points in the first quarter.
Senior guard Miah Spencer led the way as she scored or assisted on more than half of the team’s points in the opening frame. Sophomore guard Asia Durr of Louisville did enough to keep her team in the game, scoring nine points for the Cards early.
The second quarter saw roles reverse as foul trouble and ice-cold shooting allowed Louisville to cut the lead down to just two before the break. State added two buckets to be up 32-18 early in the second. Then Louisville closed out the half on a mammoth 14-2 run. State’s offense looked anemic as the team went just 1 of 14 from the field during this stretch. Durr alone outscored State, tallying 12 points in the second, giving her 21 by the half.
However, State held everyone else in check and only allowed two points that weren’t scored by Durr. Although its lead suffered a sizeable decrease, the Pack was still up at the half, 34-32.
The second half was a defensive struggle, as neither team notched more than 15 points in either quarter. State fought to maintain the lead in the third, but junior Louisville big Myisha Hines-Allen stepped up and dropped eight of her 16 points in this quarter.
The fourth quarter was almost a repeat of the last matchup. However, State couldn’t find a big basket when the team needed one down the stretch. Both teams went on runs and scoring droughts in the fourth. State took the lead late on a 3-pointer by redshirt senior guard Dominique Wilson put the Pack ahead 58-57, but with 19 seconds left Hines-Allen knocked down two free throws to reclaim the lead. State’s last offensive possession didn’t produce a basket and the Cards escaped with a win.
Despite dropping its lone game of the ACC Tournament, State’s outlook is bright moving forward. The Wolfpack currently sits at No. 17 in the NCAA; therefore, an NCAA Tournament appearance is virtually guaranteed. The first round loss to Louisville might have diminished the chance of hosting a tournament game in Reynolds Coliseum, but the Pack still has the talent to assemble a deep postseason run.
