After posting two consecutive victories over ranked opponents, the NC State women’s basketball team tried to extend the streak, but fell short as the visiting No. 14 Miami (FL) Hurricanes squeaked by 67-64 in Reynolds Coliseum Thursday.
The Wolfpack (12-4, 2-1 ACC) played a tightly contested match but came up short against the Hurricanes (13-2, 2-1 ACC). Senior forward Jennifer Mathurin led the Pack with 17 points and four rebounds. Redshirt senior forward Keyona Hayes led the way for the Canes as she tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds.
“Proud of our [team],” head coach Wes Moore said. “Dug a little bit of a hole, they came back and fought but couldn’t quite get over the hump.”
The Pack began the game on a 7-0 run, senior guard Miah Spencer led the way with four points, two assists and one steal. The Hurricanes struggled to find the basket, shooting 2 of 12 to open the match.
NC State continued its great play as it shot 59 percent from the field in the first to obtain a 10-point lead, 23-13. NC State saw six players score in the first out of the eight that played. The Canes did not find their shooting stroke in the first, as they shot 33 percent from the field and 0 of 2 from behind the arc.
Miami came out in the second quarter with high intensity, as they scored on three-straight possessions which led to a 9-0 run to minimize State’s lead, 23-22.
The Hurricanes dominated the second quarter, as they outscored the Pack 23-9 to take the lead at halftime, 36-32. The Canes’ defense shut down NC State as it only allowed three field goals in the quarter.
“We just had to buckle down on just getting stops,” Canes’ senior guard Adrienne Motley said. “When coach told us [NC State] only scored nine points at halftime, [the team] was like ‘wow’ because we were so focused on the game plan.”
The Pack played a tightly contested third quarter but was unable to gain the lead as the Canes led at the end of quarter, 50-44. Hayes tallied six points, shooting 3 of 4 from the field in the quarter giving her 18 points with one quarter to play.
Both teams carried the same intensity into the fourth quarter as they traded baskets before the first timeout of the quarter was taken by Miami who held onto the lead, 61-55.
The Pack fought long and hard but was unable to regain the lead and ultimately fell to the Canes. Sophomore guard Laura Cornelius made the go-ahead lay-up with 1:17 left to give the Canes the late two-point lead. Motley finished the game by making both free throws with six seconds left in the game.
The Pack tallied 20 points in the fourth quarter but was unable to stop the Canes’ offense to seal the win. Despite the loss, the Pack is still remaining confident as it moves forward through the rest of conference play.
“The takeaway is that we are doing good,” Mathurin said. “But we also need to keep working because everybody in the ACC can play and everybody is tough.”
The Pack travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Sunday.
