Emma Sheppard
Graduate guard Kiara Leslie drives to the interior against No. 5 Notre Dame on Monday Feb. 18, 2019 in Reynolds Coliseum. Leslie went 6-14 from the field and totaled 17 points. The No. 9 Wolfpack lost to the Fighting Irish 95-72.
The No. 9 Wolfpack women’s basketball team fell short against the No. 5 Fighting Irish in Reynolds Coliseum Monday night, losing 95-72 in the 14th-annual Play4Kay game.
The first half saw momentum swing rapidly from one team to the other. Every run by Notre Dame (24-3, 11-2 ACC) was matched by a run from NC State (22-3, 9-3 ACC). After an 11-2 run by the Irish put them up by nine points late in the second quarter, NC State answered and closed the margin to 41-36.
The second half was a different story. The Wolfpack tied the score in the third, but a 12-0 run gave the Irish a 59-47 lead and Notre Dame took total control of the game from that point forward. NC State struggled to hold onto the ball and could not stop Notre Dame’s potent offense. For the final 15 minutes of play, seemingly nothing went right for the Pack as it was outplayed in every phase of the game.
“It just came in waves,” head coach Wes Moore said. “That’s what a great team does. You play even with them for a while but all of a sudden they go on a 12-0 run, then you play even with them again, then they go on a 14-2 run and by then the game is out of hand.”
Notre Dame excelled in both creating and executing on fast breaks while NC State struggled to capitalize on their own opportunities. Notre Dame scored 24 points off of turnovers compared to just seven by the Wolfpack. Additionally, the Pack got obliterated in fast-break situations; Notre Dame scored 37 fast break points compared to just two by NC State.
“They are who we thought they were,” Moore said. “We know they have great transition game and we got outscored 37-2 in fast-break. That’s your ball game right there.”
Additionally, the Wolfpack struggled with Notre Dame’s size. The Irish finished with 45 total rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds versus 28 total and six offensive for the Wolfpack. Notre Dame also scored 62 points in the paint versus the Wolfpack’s 30.
“We’ve been a really good rebounding team all year, but we got hammered on the boards,” Moore said. “When you turn it over, they’re going to turn it into two points. You can see all those categories; Fast-break points and points off turnovers they dominated. Points in the paint, they doubled us. Hats off to Notre Dame, they’re the national champs and they’re playing really well right now.”
Freshman center Elissa Cunane was a bright spot and played a key part in keeping the Pack close to Notre Dame in the first half of the game. In just the first half, Cunane scored 16 of the Pack’s 36 points and finished with a final clip of 28 points and six rebounds. Graduate guard Kiara Leslie also had a great game with 17 points, six assists and three rebounds.
“I’ve had more opportunities to step up,” Cunane said. “My teammates did a great job getting me the ball tonight, so it was just working together with them was working really well.”
Cunane’s performance tonight is symbolic of her rise following junior forward Erika Cassell’s injury. She has played outstanding basketball and has stepped up for a team that has watched numerous players suffer season-ending injuries.
“With Erika Cassell’s injury a week or two ago, Elissa has really stepped up,” Moore said. “She’s been unbelievable.”
The Wolfpack will return to the court to play against Wake Forest at Reynolds Coliseum this Thursday at 7 p.m.