Junior guard Len’Nique Brown hit a runner in the lane with 4.5 seconds remaining in overtime to lead No. 14 N.C. State past the Virginia Tech Hokies, 72-71, at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. on Sunday. It was the Wolfpack’s eighth victory in 10 ACC games and improves State to 21-3 on the season, matching its best start to a campaign in 32 years.
State’s matchup with the Hokies was the 15th overall matchup between the two schools in a series that dates back to the Wolfpack’s first season of women’s basketball in 1975. The Pack has never lost to Virginia Tech.
“N.C. State survived, that is what it was,” N.C. State head coach Wes Moore said. “We hung in there. I am proud of these kids. You’re down 10, you’re on the road, things were not going our way. I didn’t see them hanging their heads. I didn’t see them pointing fingers. Every time I looked up they looked like they thought we could win this game.”
Senior forward Markeisha Gatling paced the Pack with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including a layup with 23 seconds remaining in regulation that tied the score at 60. Senior forward Kody Burke chipped in 20 points in 41 minutes of action.
The Pack trailed most of the afternoon. Virginia Tech led by 10 points twice, holding a 46-36 advantage with less than 11 minutes to play. N.C. State, which has twice rallied from double-digit deficits to beat ranked teams, closed the gap to one point when senior guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman scored on a fast break with six minutes remaining.
The Hokies (11-12 overall, 1-9 ACC) showed resolve, never allowing the Pack to lead during regulation. Virginia Tech went scoreless for nearly three minutes but took a 60-58 lead with 1:49 remaining and, after Burke missed a three-pointer, had the ball and the lead with under a minute to go.
Virginia Tech took a four-point lead less than a minute into overtime. The Pack responded with six straight points after freshman guard Miah Spencer (11 points, seven rebounds, four assists) converted two free throws to give N.C. State a two-point advantage with less than three minutes remaining in the extra session.
The Hokies remained aggressive and took a one-point lead when sophomore forward Hannah Young hit a three-pointer with only 27 seconds remaining in overtime, setting the stage for Brown’s heroics. Prior to her game-winning shot, the junior had struggled from the field (two-for-10 overall), something her coach sarcastically noted in his post-game press conference.
“Is this great coaching or what?” Moore said. “[Brown] was one-for-nine from the field. We put her back in and she hits the game-winner.”
Brown downplayed her game-winner after the game and said it was a routine shot.
“I knew they probably were going to think I was going to pass it to [Gatling],” Brown said. “I knew [Virginia Tech] was overplaying [Gatling], so I took it to the middle and just pulled up.”
“The bench kept us in it. We depended on each other. We never hung our heads and we just believe in each other on the court. We never gave up today.”
N.C. State retained sole possession of third place in the ACC standings with the win, trailing first-place Notre Dame by two games. The Pack returns to action on Thursday, when it faces the Clemson Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m.
