The women’s basketball team overcame an early 9-0 deficit and led late before losing 58-57 to Michigan State in the semifinals of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center.Sophomore Sharnise Beal scored with 33 seconds left to give N.C. State a 57-56 lead. But a layup by MSU’s Allyssa DeHaan with 11 seconds remaining, her second basket in the final minute, gave the Spartans the win.
It was the culmination of a 15-point night for DeHaan and a dramatic ending to the Wolfpack’s season, which nearly ended nine days earlier before State staged a furious rally against South Carolina in last Monday’s second-round game.
Earlier in the game, after MSU had scored the first nine points, the Pack quickly fought back and led by as much as five points in the opening half before being tied 28-28 at halftime.
The defeat ended a three-game winning streak for the Pack, which had defeated South Carolina, Florida and St. John’s all at home to advance to the WNIT Final Four.
Sophomore guard Nikitta Gartrell led the team with 14 points, while senior forward Khadijah Whittington scored 13 and pulled down 12 rebounds in her final collegiate game.
The Pack finished the season with a 21-13 record, while the Spartans upped their record to 23-13 in advancing to Saturday’s WNIT championship game.Whittington was the team’s lone senior, and junior guard Shayla Fields, who scored three points in 35 minutes, was the only other upperclassman.Freshman forward Tia Bell scored 12 points off the bench in the season-ending defeat. This season marked the third time in four years the team has won at least 21 games.