Photo by John Joyner.
Redshirt junior guard Len'Nique Brown drives around the defense during the game against Morgan State in Reynolds Coliseum Monday, Nov. 18, 2013. Brown contributed 4 assists to the Wolfpack’s 94-52 victory.
The N.C. State women’s basketball team earned a fifth place finish in the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday, ending with a 67-49 win over UCLA.
The Wolfpack (8-1) finished 2-1 in the tournament. Despite a strong showing in which the team shot more than 50 percent from the field, State lost its opener on Friday to Wright State. Foul trouble and 30 points from junior guard Kim Demmings ultimately held the Pack from a victory.
The Pack rebounded on Saturday with a dominating 87-59 win against Southeastern Louisiana. Five players recorded double-digit point totals, and the team shot 49.3 percent from the field.
On Sunday, State took on the Bruins for the fifth-place match. The Pack carried its offensive dominance from the first to contests into Sunday’s matchup, shooting an astounding 54.2 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
State broke off a 17-0 run to extend its lead to 31-12 with 5:44 left in the first half. During the stretch, senior guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman drilled three shots from long range.
“I’m really proud of the way that we played in the first half,” head coach Wes Moore said. “We came out, played extremely hard, did the things we wanted to do defensively, made them keep it on one side of the floor and jumped out to a 20-point lead.”
The Pack went into the locker room with a 20-point lead, leading UCLA 40-20.
For a stretch of 10:04 in the first half, State’s defense held the Bruins to no field goals. Moore said that even though his team possessed an extensive lead, he didn’t want his team to slow down.
“When the half ended, [assistant coach Gene Hill] turned to me and said, ‘Coach, every film I’ve seen on them, they have fought back,'” Moore said. “And they do, they did it again.”
UCLA came out in the second half with a full-court press, forcing State to rush its offense. The tight defense allowed the Bruins to pull within 12 points with 4:09 remaining in the game.
“They made a great move,” Moore said. “If they’re going trap, we want to burn it and make them pay. Even if they didn’t get a turnover, they forced us to put it up quick. We turned it over too much in the second half.”
Moore and the coaching staff helped the team adjust to the pressure, and the Pack finished the contest with a 10-2 run.
Foul trouble still haunted the team, as State players committed 22 personal fouls during the night. Senior center Markeisha Gatling went 5-5 from the field but was limited to 16 minutes due to foul trouble, and she eventually fouled out.
“We have to figure out how to keep [Gatling] on the floor,” Moore said. “She’s just getting silly fouls.”
Even without its starting center and leading rebounder at full force, the Pack out-rebounded the Bruins 30-18.
With the win on Sunday, the Pack jumped out to its best start since 2008. Moore said it was important for the team to gain a win against such a tough opponent.
“We needed a win like this,” Moore said. “To beat a PAC-12 team, that’s a resume-builder.”
State will face Northwestern on Thursday as a part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
“I know [Northwestern head coach] Joe McKeown well,” Moore said. “They’re going to be well-prepared.”