The N.C. State women’s basketball team (11-12, 3-8 ACC) defeated Wake Forest (10-12, 3-7) Sunday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum, 64-55. The Lady Wolfpack earned its third conference win in the last four games after dropping its first seven games against ACC opponents. The team played without junior guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman, who injured her left ankle in practice Friday.
State was led by senior guard Marissa Kastanek who scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Kastanek made eight of her 16 shots, including three of five shots from three-point range.
“The coaches, over the past couple of practices, have put a big emphasis on assist-passes, and that plays a big role,” Kastanek said. “If I can get open for just a split second and the pass is perfect, that helps me get my shot up.”
Sophomore guard Krystal Barrett added 14 points for the Pack, tying her season high against Elon in December.
Redshirt sophomore guard Len’Nique Brown, who started in place of Goodwin-Coleman, also played 39 minutes and had four points and nine assists, the latter a team-leading statistic.
“Knowing Myisha [Goodwin-Coleman] was not going to play, I had zero concern with Len’Nique Brown,” head coach Kellie Harper said. “I am very confident with her ability.”
Junior center Markeisha Gatling scored 10 points and led the team with nine rebounds.
State began the game strong, scoring 13 points before the Demon Deacons made a basket. At the midway point of the first half, State held an 18 point lead with Kastanek accounting for half of the Pack’s points.
“We have been working so well as a team lately,” Kastanek said. “We have grown and learned so much from playing that I do not think anyone can throw something at us that we have not seen.”
State led at the half, 36-24, as the Deacons were held to 33 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
Wake Forest responded in the second half and managed to cut the deficit to just two points with 12 minutes remaining in the game when senior guard Lakevia Boykin, a Raleigh native, completed a three-point play.
The Pack, however, was able to shift momentum back in its favor by holding the Deacons scoreless over the next three minutes of play. State held Wake Forest to 15 points for the remainder of the game.
“Wake Forest has been very good offensively all season long,” Harper said. “I am really proud of our defensive effort today. I thought that was where this game was won.”
N.C. State shot 38.6 percent from the floor, but the Pack was 55.6 percent from three-point range. State outrebounded the Deacons, 49-36, for the afternoon.
“We did not shoot well in the second half but we did a nice job attacking and getting to the rim,” Harper said.
The Wolfpack will return to action on Sunday, Feb. 10 when the Clemson Tigers come to Reynolds Coliseum. The game will begin at 2 p.m.
