A strong defensive effort kept the women’s basketball team in the running for a win against Florida State on Thursday night, but problems in the paint and a physical push from the Seminoles resulted in a 64-59 loss for the Wolfpack. The Pack fell to 8-10 on the season and 0-3 ACC play.
Interim head coach Stephanie Glance was generally pleased with the effort her team displayed on the court, even though they struggled on offense inside the perimeter. State out-rebounded Florida State 52-46, a unit that is one of the leading rebounding teams in the nation.
“With our second game in the ACC, we had some really good things happen. We changed defenses a lot and ran a lot of different plays,” Glance said. “Offensively, we just a rough night shooting – we need to tighten up and hit our normal shots.”
Senior Shayla Fields led the Pack with 25 points.
“We were just six points from winning the game, so it was just a tough night shooting from the perimeter,” Glance said. “But we’re right there, so I’m still very encouraged about our play, we’ve just got to put it all together on the same night and pull it out.”
The first half was dominated by a fast-paced Seminole offense. FSU guard Mara Freshour eluded the State defense on several plays, hustling inside on tight shots and redeeming herself on her own rebounds.
In the beginning minutes of the second half, the Pack rallied to show signs of life with good shot selection and a stronger defensive showing. But down the stretch, the Pack couldn’t buy a basket, missing three and four shots on consecutive possessions.
With time winding down, the Pack fought through defensive pressure and Fields once again found the basket for three, followed by a trip to the line for another point, bringing State within 9 with 1:10 remaining in the game. Another Strachan three pointer helped the Pack close to within 6 points. But the Seminoles went to line again, and one final three point basket by Fields with three seconds wasn’t enough to keep State in the game.
Holston, who tightened up her shots in the second half for 13 points, has continued to be a consistent factor on the court as on the team’s leading scorers and rebounders. Glance commended the improvements she has seen, particularly from before the semesters end.
“She’s a person who knows where she scores best from and she gets to those sports on the floor — she was well-coached in high school,” Glance said. “She has a good knack for positioning defensively, and she’s undersized, but able to make up for it because she’s in the right position and gets her hands on the ball.”
The eyes of women’s basketball will be on the Triangle Monday night as N.C. State hosts Duke and Chapel Hill takes on the University of Connecticutt. Duke, a team, is known for their physical inside play, will be a challenge State, but Glance believes her team is ready for their conference rivals.
“We’re hanging on, we’re seeing improvement with our ability to throw in some traps to offset the fact that we can’t play people one on one,” Glance said. “The team is doing a great job giving a lot of help to each other, and it’s going to be the same thing against Duke.”
