In what has become an endearing annual event at N.C. State, more than 8,100 fans were treated to a highly entertaining women’s basketball game between two ranked rivals with terrific team and individual play. The No. 10 N.C. State Wolfpack fell to No. 17 North Carolina, 89-82, on Sunday in the ninth annual Hoops-4-Hope game at Kay Yow Court in Reynolds Coliseum.
The loss drops the Wolfpack to 22-4 overall and 9-3 in the ACC while the Tar Heels improve to 20-6 on the season, 8-4 in conference play. It was State’s first loss at home in 14 games.
North Carolina used a sensational performance from freshman guard Diamond DeShields to complete the regular season sweep over N.C. State. The Norcross, Ga. native scored a career-best 38 points on 12-for-23 shooting, including five-for-nine from three-point range. The Tar Heels were lethal from behind the arc the entire game, making 13-of-23 long range attempts, to overcome the Wolfpack’s 25 offensive rebounds in the contest.
“You have got to give them credit,” N.C. State head coach Wes Moore said. “They knocked down a lot of shots. DeShields was phenomenal. They hit 13 threes and we hit five. That was a big factor in the outcome.”
The Pack was led by senior forward Kody Burke, who finished with 18 points and four rebounds. Three other players finished in double-figures scoring for N.C. State, led by senior center Markeisha Gatling, who posted 15 points and nine rebounds after being saddled with foul trouble in the first half.
North Carolina started early from behind the arc, making its first three baskets from three-point range. The Tar Heels built a 25-14 lead with 10:46 remaining in the first half. The Wolfpack responded and junior guard Len’Nique Brown hit a layup with 25 seconds left in the first half to give N.C. State a 40-39 lead at intermission.
Immediately after the break, senior guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman, honored before the game with a midcourt ceremony after becoming the 30th player in N.C. State women’s basketball history to score more than 1,000 points, hit a three-pointer to add to State’s lead. The Pack extended its advantage to six points with 16 minutes remaining, but then DeShields took over, scoring 27 of her points throughout the remainder of the contest.
N.C. State held a 63-62 advantage after Goodwin-Coleman hit a three-pointer with exactly nine minutes remaining. Then DeShields hit a three to give North Carolina the lead and the Tar Heels used a 14-4 run over the next four minutes to take a 76-67 lead with a little more than four minutes to play.
“At the end of the first half, I took a pass when I could have shot at the top of the key because I was not confident in my shot at that time,” DeShields said. “But in the second half I knew what I needed to do.”
The Pack rallied to cut the deficit to two points with 1:03 remaining after Burke completed a three-point play, but DeShields responded with a tough, fadeaway jumper to push Carolina’s lead back to four. Goodwin-Coleman missed a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining that would have cut the lead to one and State never threatened again.
“There is a lot of things we can take from [the game] and hopefully we can improve as we head to March,” Moore said. “This is a tough stretch.”
N.C. State will return to action Thursday with another game against a Triangle rival when the Pack travels to Durham to face No. No. 7 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tip is set for 6:30 p.m.
