Down but never out, NC State battles back to knock off Georgia Tech
Never underestimate the heart of a champion.
N.C. State, the No. 2 seed in the ACC tournament, trailed by 10 points with 8:51 remaining. But the Wolfpack went on a furious run, retaking the lead and defending its tournament title, defeating Georgia Tech, 66-61, in the semifinal round.
The Wolfpack went on a 20-6 run, capped off by six points late from Elissa Cunane and some timely jumpers from senior Kai Crutchfield. The guard from Raleigh had two points entering the fourth, but played her best basketball in the fourth. Cunane and Crutchfield each scored 8 in the fourth.
Crutchfield hit an open three to make it a one-point Yellow Jackets’ lead, but Georgia Tech center Lorela Cubaj scored a layup on the other end to push the lead back to three. Cunane’s five straight, though, were the dagger.
Most of the fourth quarter, N.C. State kept throwing hooks, but could never floor the poised Yellow Jackets. The Wolfpack trailed by 10 after Georgia Tech guard Loyal McQueen hit a three from the corner. State, though, playing in front of fans for just the second time this season, battled back, cutting the lead to four after five straight from Jakia Brown-Turner.
What the Wolfpack couldn’t do was trade baskets with the Yellow Jackets, who got another timely basket from Lotta-Maj Lahtinen.
Brown-Turner went scoreless in the third quarter, but gave the team a spark in the fourth, igniting the partisan N.C. State crowd.
N.C. State will face No. 1 seed Louisville in the ACC title game Sunday at noon.
Here are highlights from earlier in the game
Georgia Tech 48, N.C. State 43: End of third quarter
N.C. State cut the Georgia Tech lead to three after a layup from Elissa Cunane, but Kierra Fletcher nailed a three from the corner to push the lead back to six at the 4:15 mark. The Yellow Jackets got timely buckets, including another jumper from Fletcher to kill the N.C. State comeback attempt heading into the fourth.
The Pack connected on just five field goals in the third quarter.
Georgia Tech 33, N.C. State 28 - Halftime
N.C. State faced some adversity for the first time in tournament play, trailing No. 3 Georgia Tech at the half, 33-28.
The Wolfpack were outscored 18-10 in the second quarter, connecting on just five field goals in 14 attempts (35 percent). Georgia Tech kept N.C. State scoreless for the final 3:29 of the first half. The Yellow Jackets got an old-fashioned three-point play from Lotta-Maj Lahtinen right before the half to get their biggest lead.
Elissa Cunane, who got off to a fast start, only took two shot attempts in the second quarter. After trailing by four entering the second, Georgia Tech battled back and tied the game at 24 on a triple from Kierra Fletcher. Cunane put N.C. State back in front, 26-24, with a layup, but the Yellow Jackets would control the rest of the second quarter, ending it on a 7-2 run.
N.C. State 18, Georgia Tech 14: End of first quarter
Despite missing her last four shots, Elissa Cunane got off to a good start, allowing N.C. State to take an 18-14 lead over Georgia Tech after the first quarter.
The Pack jumped out to a six-point margin, but went cold toward the end of the quarter, missing their last four shots and going on a 2:10 drought. Their last bucket was a three by Raina Perez before the team went cold. Cunane started the game 3-4 before the lid was placed on the rim for the All-ACC center.
Pregame notes
Jada Boyd scored a career-high 26 points off the bench in the previous N.C. State contest with Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have won two in a row. The Pack is expected to start seniors Raina Perez and Kai Crutchfield in the backcourt, with senior Kayla Jones, sophomore Jakia Brown-Turner and junior Elissa Cunane in the frontcourt. Cunane is coming off a season-high 27 points during N.C. State’s win over Virginia Tech in the quarterfinal round.
