The NC State women’s basketball team had its season ended by the Texas Longhorns in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament by a score of 84-80 in Austin, Texas Sunday.
The Wolfpack (23-9, 12-4 ACC) shot just 2 of 11 from 3-point range and tallied merely four assists on the game. Additionally, the Longhorns (25-8, 15-3 ACC) dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Pack, 41-28.
Both teams played well to start the game, but before the end of the first, Texas’ shooters got hot. Halfway through the first, the referees showed a penchant for calling the game close as there were 10 fouls at the halfway mark of the first quarter. At that point, the contest was tied at 12. However, immediately after the break, the Longhorns ended the quarter on a 16-3 run. The Horns only missed three of their 13 attempts from the floor as they took a commanding 28-15 lead to close out the quarter.
The Pack remained poised and battled back in the second. Head coach Wes Moore showed why he was named ACC Coach of the Year when he switched to a box and one defense that frustrated the Horns’ offense. This defensive strategy frustrated junior guard and Big 12 Player of the Year Brooke McCarty. The stifling defensive set of the Pack held Texas to 9 points in the second quarter, cutting the Longhorns’ lead to 37-36 at the end of the first half.
The third quarter saw the scoring pick back up for both teams. State’s backcourt duo of senior guard Miah Spencer and redshirt guard Dominique Wilson put on amazing performances as they combined for 58 of the team’s 80 points, many of which came in the second half. Texas fell behind as the guards’ offensive explosion coupled with a massive amount of defensive pressure gave State a 5-point lead going into the fourth, 60-55.
Everything got tighter down the stretch: the score, the focus and the whistles. McCarty scored 10 of her 23 points in the closing frame of the game, while freshman Joyner Holmes also went to work with the Wolfpack’s front line depleted by foul trouble, dropping in the majority of her 16 in this quarter. Three of NC State’s starters fouled out and that undoubtedly played a factor in this game. Most notably, Spencer, who led the team with 31 points, fouled out with 1:09 left when State was up by 1 point.
Texas’ size was a concern for NC State and it turned out to be the Pack’s undoing as the Horns secured pivotal offensive boards when they needed to. Specifically, the Longhorns got a crucial offensive rebound off of a missed free throw when State had to foul late with less than a minute left on the clock. The Longhorns were plus-13 on the boards, hurting NC State’s chances of pulling out the win. The Wolfpack fought valiantly but is leaving Austin in defeat.
Junior forward Chelsea Nelson makes her way into the paint during the game against UNC. The Wolfpack dominated the Heels on route to a 80-60 victory in Reynolds Coliseum on Feb. 23.
