No. 7 NC State women’s basketball fell to UNC-Chapel Hill 64-51 at Reynolds Coliseum this Sunday for its first loss of the season.
The Wolfpack (21-1, 8-1 ACC) and the Tar Heels (14-9, 5-4 ACC) kept a tight game for the entire first half, neither team allowing much of a lead to form. The Pack was up 17-15 at the end of the first 10 minutes. The team was unable to increase its lead as the Pack only managed a one-point lead by the end of the second quarter at 32-31. The Pack went on a dry spell late in the third quarter, not scoring for the last five minutes, giving the Tar Heels an eight-point lead. The Wolfpack had a tough fourth quarter, and could not come back from the deficit.
“Obviously a tough loss,” head coach Wes Moore said. “Second half Carolina came out and really attacked the bucket and got to the foul line. Got some easy points in transition and really turned the momentum around. We got to do a better job of that, I have to do a better job of trying to help us be a little more aggressive offensively and attacking mode. Last few games we really haven’t been quite as efficient offensively.”
The Tar Heels kicked off the game with the first basket but was soon followed by sophomore guard Kai Crutchfield’s 3-point basket and graduate guard Kiara Leslie’s layup to give NC State the lead at 5-2.
The Pack had some missed opportunities to pull ahead of the Tar Heels in the first quarter. Junior forward Erika Cassell missed Crutchfield cutting the baseline for a 3-pointer. Leslie stole the ball from the Tar Heels and passed it off to Crutchfield only to be called with a charge, preventing a layup.
Offensively, junior guard Aislinn Konig, Cassell and Leslie were crucial to the lineup. The three of them took turns to tie up the score whenever the Wolfpack found itself trailing.
Leslie made one of her two 3-pointers with one minute left in the first quarter to put the Pack up, 17-13. Leslie scored 10 points for the Pack in the first quarter.
The second quarter was a tight match that started out rough for the Pack. The Tar Heels stole the ball from freshman center Elissa Cunane to tie up the score. A bounce pass into the paint from Konig to Cunane didn’t connect, allowing the Tar Heels an extra opportunity to score.
Cassell came through on the foul line, making 3 of 4 baskets to tie up the score. Cassell had 12 rebounds throughout the game, tying Leslie. One of Cassell’s rebounds led to a wide open layup for sophomore forward Kayla Jones to score, assisted by Konig.
Konig went on a hot streak in the second quarter. She drove, breaking down the defense and pulled back for a jump shot. With two minutes left in the quarter, Konig made 2 of 3 perimeter shots back-to-back to close the gap, 28-28.
Cunane made the final layup for the second quarter to put the Pack up 32-31.
The third quarter saw a new Wolfpack and not for the better. Giving up open layups, shot-fakes and missed shots led to the Pack’s downfall.
The Pack tried to hold on with Cassell and Konig putting up shots from the perimeter but it wasn’t enough. The Tar Heels led the game 50-40 by the end of the third quarter.
The Wolfpack tried to clean up in the final quarter but the damage was done with the moral and momentum swinging into the Tar Heels’ favor.
The Tar Heels continued to increase their lead to over 10 points at 54-43. Their top scorers were guards Stephanie Watts and Paris Kea with 20 and 17 points, respectively.
The Pack tried to lock down with a tight defense on Watts and Kea but the rebound slipped through Cunane’s hands for a quick jump shot from the Tar Heels.
Leslie scored the Pack’s last five points with a perimeter basket to bring the score to a 10-point deficit and two free throws, making it 59-51.
The Wolfpack could not put any points on the board the last two minutes, and the Tar Heels won the game 64-51 to hand the Pack their first loss of the season.
“We definitely have a chip on our shoulders,” Cassell said. “It was a hard loss. Of course we don’t want this feeling again so I’m sure in practice we’re going to see a change. We’re going to pick up the slack and know that anybody can beat us. Hopefully we’re going to increase our energy next game and that our offense will flow as well.”
The Wolfpack will be heading on the road to face off against No. 24 Florida State this Thursday at 7 p.m.
Junior guard Aislinn Konig shoots a three. Konig started the game off hot with ten points on eighty percent in the first half, but dropped to fourteen percent in the second, scoring only three more points. The Wolfpack had an ice cold second half shooting 17% as a team on the way to their first loss of the year, 64-51 f to UNC on Sunday, Feb. 3 in Reynolds Coliseum.
