N.C. State (13-14, 5-10 ACC) fell to the Miami Hurricanes (18-8, 9-6 ACC), 59-55 at Reynolds Coliseum Thursday night.
“Miami is very tough and very physical,” head coach Kellie Harper said. “They tried to disrupt the flow of our offense. Their biggest aspect is their toughness. They are gritty.”
Junior forward Kody Burke led the Wolfpack with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Marissa Kastanek, however, was held to only four points and six rebounds. Both were honored before the game for earning Academic All-American status for the second consecutive year.
“It is an amazing accomplishment,” Harper said. “It speaks about what type of people they are: high achievers, period. If you have that characteristic about you, you want to be the best at everything you do. Those people are really special, and we are very blessed to have a couple of them.”
Kastanek’s career point total now stands at 1,573, placing her in sole possession of 10th place in school history. She tied Sharon Manning in last Sunday’s game against Georgia Tech.
Sophomore guard Krystal Barrett scored 12 points and grabbed eight boards for State. Redshirt sophomore guard Len’Nique Brown also scored nine points and recorded seven assists in her fifth straight start. Junior center Markeisha Gatling added eight points and seven rebounds.
The Hurricanes jumped to a quick 7-0 lead to begin the game and led for the entirety of the first half. State shot 25 percent in the opening half, trailing at the break by a score of 33-23.
“I am very disappointed in our first half performance,” Harper said. “I do not think we were confident, and we played a little passive.”
Following a Gatling basket, Miami surged with a 10-1 run. The Hurricanes were ahead 43-26 with 16 minutes remaining, but the tide changed with 14 minutes remaining.
With the score showing 45-30 in favor of the Hurricanes, the Pack held Miami to three points in seven minutes and charged to take a slim one-point advantage, 49-48.
“We got the ball inside and made more baskets,” Harper said. “We were definitely more aggressive during that time. That is how you have to play against them.”
However, the Canes reclaimed the lead and never relinquished it despite the State defense holding the deficit to at most four points during the final stretch.
Miami senior guard Stefanie Yderstrom propelled the Hurricanes with 17 points, followed by senior center Shawnice Wilson who added 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“Miami has utilized [Yderstrom] very well and very strategically,” Harper said. “She is very crafty. She will take what you give her, and if you mess up she will make you pay.”
The Pack shot 28.2 percent on the floor and 26.7 percent beyond the arc on the evening. Kastanek and junior guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman, the team’s leading three-point shooters, were both held without a three-point basket. This marks the only time this season to date they both failed to convert from three-point range in the same game.
“Myisha had a couple of good looks but just did not knock them down,” Harper said. “I thought Marissa was just rushing hers because they made her work for everything. They did not want to give her anything easy.”
N.C. State will return to action on Sunday when the team travels to Chapel Hill to take on rival UNC-Chapel Hill in Carmichael Auditorium. Game time is 1:30 pm and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
