ACC WBB Tournament: Yellow Jackets sting Wolfpack, 87-61
The NC State Wolfpack’s run towards the ACC Tournament
championship game came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Georgia Tech
Yellow Jackets at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. on
Saturday.After knocking off...
In-Game notes:
The NC State Wolfpack is riding on a high after beating the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament's top seed the Duke Blue Devils, becoming the lowest seed ever to enter the semi-final round of play.
Georgia Tech comes into the semi-final after surviving a one-point win over the #5 North Carolina Tar Heels.
Regardless of the seeding, this game will be played and won by pure intensity and the will-to-win that all players on the court will exhibit.
Tip coming up:
1st half:
- NC State's Kody Burke starts off the game with the first bucket of the game, taking the early lead
- Georgia Tech comes back and matches it to tie the game 2-2 as Tyaunna Marshall scores
- After State misses on their possession, Metra Walthour puts the Yellow Jackets up 4-2
- However, Emili Tasler nails a three-pointer to put the Wolfpack up 5-4 with 17:45 to go
- Bonae Holston extends the lead to three with a jumper, but not before GT's Tjasa Gornar hits a three to tie the game 7-7
- Walthour goes to the FT line and hits one of two and the Yellow Jackets lead by one
- Eric Donovan gets a lay-up and NC State leads 9-8 with 16:05 to play
- Frida Fodgemark hits a three-pointer and starts to open up its offensive valve - now lead 11-9
- The Wolfpack's Krystal Barrett gets one back but after few runs up and down the court by both teams, it's Walthour who hits a jumper - Yellow Jackets lead 13-10 with 14:20 to play
- GT gets another two from Marshall as the Wolfpack struggle to find its offense with missed shots and lay-ups not playing to their favor
- Tasler misses a three-pointer and the Yellow Jackets' Laquannisha Adams hits another two-pointer and GT leads by 7 - 17-10 with 12:21 to go
- Dawn Maye scores and the Yellow Jackets is now nine points as State has not hit a basket for almost three minutes
- State's Holston goes to the line and claims one point back but Mo Bennett scores on GT's ensuing possession and the lead is now 21-11 with 11:02 to play
- NC State's Myisha Goodwin-Coleman gets her first three-pointer of the game and cuts the Yellow Jackets lead to seven
- Another contributor to the GT offense, Chelsea Regins scores two and the Yellow Jackets lead 23-14 with 10:24 to go
- The Wolfpack still struggle on the offense but Burke finally gets one to drop - GT leads 23-16 now
- GT misses a few opportunities but State can't take advantage of it as Tasler turns it over - 23-16 for GT with 7:59 to play in the half
- State scores two and then Walthour hits a three and GT now leads 26-18
- Marshall adds to the lead which now extends back to 10 points
- Georgia Tech shooting 65% and Fodgemark hits another three-pointer and GT leads 31-18 with 6:17 to play
- NC State's 25% shooting performance so far is the obvious reason for not generating enough offense to stay close so far
- A lay-up by Sasha Goodlett for GT and a missed shot by Goodwin-Coleman lets Marshall add to the lead which is now 16 points - 35-19 with 5:10 to play
- Not the same game for the Wolfpack's Kastanek as she is still scoreless in the half - a big reason why NC State is trailing by 17 now
- Goodwin-Coleman hits two FT's and State now trails by 15 points with 4:02 to play
- State playing the zone defense and trying to spread GT's offense out
- Marshall scores on consecutive scores for the Yellow Jackets while Goodwin-Coleman scores a few FT's - Georgia Tech leads 39-23
- NC State not being aggressive in the end and Goodlett scores an easy lay-up
- Burke comes back with two points for State - now trailing 46-27 with 2:35 to play
- Bennett with a jumper for the Yellow Jackets and Burke gets fouled on the next possession
- Burke scores both at the FT line - GT leads 46-32 with 1:25 to play in the half
- State goes back to single coverage but Goodlett scores in the paint uncontested and State tries to get one last score before the end of the half - Yellow Jackets leading 48-32 with 19 seconds to play
- Goodwin-Coleman missed the jumper and GT has possession - Marshall drives the lane and puts GT ahead by 18 points at the half
Interesting notes at the half:
Georgia Tech -22-32 (68.8%) - leading scorer - Tyaunna Marshall - 16 points
NC State - 9-31 (29%) - leading scorer - Myisha Goodwin-Coleman - 11 points
**Key factor to consider - NC State's Marissa Kastanek - 2 points
2nd half:
- NC State starts in a zone defense but GT still hits a jumper and now leads 52-32
- State comes down and continues to struggle from the field missing on two attempts for inside and beyond the arc
- Goodlett comes down and scores another two points in the paint
- Holston scores a jumper to keep the GT lead at 20 points with 17:55 to play
- Goowin-Coleman scores and Walthour trade baskets - GT lead remains at 20 points with 16:47 to play
- Burke drops a jumper for the Wolfpack - GT leads 56-38
- Now leading 60-40, Georgia Tech looks to be cruising along while the Wolfpack is not improving its offensive output to make a dent into the Yellow Jackets' lead
- The shots that NC State was hitting against Duke are not dropping against Georgia Tech - regardless of how well the Yellow Jackets are shooting
- A three-pointer by Walthour and now the lead is at 26 points for Georgia Tech
- The Wolfpack's pace is noticeably slower and allowing Georgia Tech to continue to move the ball around the perimeter and inside - currently on a 14-2 run leading 76-42 with 8:36 to play
- Kastanek finally score her second basket of the game on a layup in the paint
- As the game has progressed, it seems that the regular substitutions that Georgia Tech has been making has created match-up and consistency problems for the Wolfpack causing coach Harper to substitute accordingly
- Georgia Tech going through first stretch of missing shots - leading 78-55 with 5:56 to play
- Holston scores one of two from the FT line
- Georgia Tech's Maye scores one from the FT line as well to follow-up
- Another jumper by Maye and Georgia Tech's lead is now 81-48 with 4:15 to go
- Kiana Evans comes in for the Wolfpack and scores to FT shots as GT lead is now 83-51
- The Yellow Jackets shooting during the second half has cooled but NC State's hasn't got better and allow GT to keep cruising along
- Kastenek hits a jumper and is fouled - she hits the Ft shot and has 10 points for the game
- Creating a turnover, the Wolfpack scores a transition basket from Tasler - 83-56 with under two minutes to play
- Georgia Tech's current 27-point lead ties the largest margin-of-victory total if they finish that way
- Wolfpack still scrapping as they score under the basket and get the foul - Evans finish the three-point play - trailing 83-59 with 1:36 to play
- With under a minute to play Georgia Tech continues to add to its lead - 87-59
- With final possession NC State scores the last basket of the game - loses 87-59 to the Yellow Jackets
Final: Georgia Tech 87, NC State 61
