GREENSBORO — Capping off an electric ACC Tournament run in front of a Greensboro Coliseum filled to the brim with NC State fans, the Wolfpack women’s basketball team delivered an ACC championship Sunday afternoon, beating fourth-seeded Florida State 71-66 for the program’s first ACC championship in 29 years.
With pink, white and teal balloons still being kicked around the court of the Greensboro Coliseum and confetti raining down, NC State women’s basketball head coach Wes Moore picked up the ACC championship trophy as commissioner of the ACC John Swofford said the words:
“Your 2020 ACC champion: NC State Wolfpack!”
“Obviously I couldn’t be prouder of this group,” Moore said. “We have come a long way in the last couple of years … We’re very excited to go out like this in the ACC this year and head into the NCAAs with momentum … They enjoy being around each other, and that makes all the difference in the world. I feel good about where we’re at right now. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
It was a tournament of comebacks for NC State, which trailed by as much as 14 in the quarterfinals against Georgia Tech, seven in the semifinals against Boston College, and five late in the fourth quarter in the championship. Its last comeback wasn’t its biggest, but it was the most important.
Florida State had just turned a six-point Wolfpack lead into a five-point Seminoles lead in the blink of an eye. With NC State on the ropes and the crowd getting antsy, the Wolfpack went to work with the weight of the conference on the line.
First, sophomore center Elissa Cunane took an entry pass in the post, drop-stepped and lost her defender, spinning in a layup and cutting the deficit to three. A couple of possessions later, Cunane ripped Florida State’s star forward Kiah Gillespie, snatching the ball and taking a few dribbles before finding Konig racing down the left sideline. Konig caught the pass in stride and needed just one dribble, pulling up on a dime and splashing home a 3-pointer to tie the game at 63 with under 2 ½ minutes to play.
Cunane hit a free throw nearly 40 seconds later, and NC State never looked back, hitting free throws and timely buckets to hold Florida State at bay and secure NC State’s first ACC championship in basketball since 1991.
“There [are] no words to describe the type of feeling that the whole team has right now,” Konig said. “This was a family that came together and really bought in and played together throughout this whole tournament and through the ups and downs through the season. Being able to celebrate that with them and the coaching staff and the amazing fans who filled up this arena for us is super special. To be part of this legacy of NC State that has had so many contributors from before us and will guarantee to have after us, it’s amazing to be part of that.”
For the third time in the tournament, the Wolfpack ended the first quarter trailing, this time 19-14. But just like the previous two times, the Pack battled back in the second quarter. Unlike the previous two games, where NC State managed to go into halftime tied or in the lead, they narrowly trailed at the end of the half 30-29.
After scoring six points on 3-for-5 shooting in the first quarter, freshman wing Jakia Brown-Turner carried her energy into the second quarter, and her teammates started to match it. The freshman drilled 3s on back-to-back possessions early in the quarter to give NC State a brief lead, but some hot shooting from the Seminoles put the Wolfpack back behind by as many as four.
Cunane ended the quarter strong, putting the Wolfpack within one at the break. After a monster block on the defensive end, she knocked down a huge 3 with just under a minute left in the half.
Konig came alive in the third quarter as the Pack and Seminoles went blow-for-blow after half time. After shooting 1 for 6 from the field and scoring just five in the first half, Konig scored seven in the third quarter, shooting 3 for 5 from the field and hitting some huge shots when the Pack needed an answer.
“I’m surrounded by a coaching staff who has ultimate confidence in my shooting ability, so that’s not a big factor going in,” Konig said. “I knew I was going to get other looks, and I have teammates who aren’t afraid to give me the ball. I was able to hit those shots, but their confidence in me and willingness to trust me is a big part of that success.”
The back-and-forth theme of the first three quarters continued into the fourth quarter, and as the fans were living and dying with every shot, NC State pulled away in the final minute, cementing its place in history. Now all that’s left is finding a date and time to raise its championship banner into the rafters of Reynolds Coliseum.
For Cunane, winning the ACC championship inside the Greensboro Coliseum meant winning the title just down the road from her hometown of Summerfield. With friends and family peppered throughout the crowd, Cunane scored 18 points and hauled in nine rebounds.
“It feels unreal right now,” Cunane said. “I remember as a kid when the champions would be crowned I would see the balloons and the confetti growing up, and I said, ‘Mom, I want a balloon,’ and she said, ‘No, you can’t get one,’ so I went down today and grabbed as many as I could. I have one in my locker. But it’s amazing to be on this stage and surrounded by all my best friends. It means a lot to us.”
The 2020 ACC champion Wolfpack will be back in action for the NCAA Tournament after the bracket is finalized.
The NC State women's basketball team celebrates by dumping water on head coach Wes Moore after the team won the 2020 ACC Women's Tournament on Sunday, March 8, 2020 in the Greensboro Coliseum. This is the Wolfpack's first ACC tournament championship since 1991.
