The ninth-seeded NC State Wolfpack (17-14) staged an emotional
comeback and beat the eighth-seeded Florida State Seminoles (14-17),
74-71, during opening-round play at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Women’s Basketball Tournament at...
In-Game Notes:
The #8 Florida State Seminoles take on the #8 NC State Wolfpack at the ACC Women's Basketball Championship taking place at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. on Thursday afternoon.
The Seminoles come into tournament play led by the conference's top rebounder, Natasha Howard (9.4 rpg) and points leader, Cierra Brevard (13.1 pp) while State will look to attack FSU's defense led by Marissa Kastanek (12.9 ppg) and Bonae Hoston ( 12.1ppg).
NC State is 2-0 against Florida State in ACC Tournament play, having last met in the 2007 quarter-finals.
The Seminoles beat the Wolfpack 67-64 during the two teams' only meeting earlier this season back in January.
Winner will match-up with the current two-time ACC Tournament and recently crowned regular season champions, the Duke Blue Devils, on Friday.
Tip-off in 10 mins.
NC State comes out onto the floor - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC
1st quarter:- Florida State wins the tip-off and looks to establish its offense early as Cierra Bravard scores the first basket of the game
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| #8 Florida State tips off against #9 NC State - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LL | C |
- State has trouble in getting two different shots away during their possession and FSU transitions down the court but can't score - still 2-0 for FSU
- State come back dwon and Myisha Goodwin-Coleman hits a three to put State ahead 3-2
- The Seminoles come down and miss and Marissa Kastanek hits her first three-pointer - NC State leads 6-2
- Bravard comes back down and it's now 6-4 with 17:15 to go
- Kody Burke drops her first basket of the game and the Wolfpack leads 8-4
- Florida State fights back and evens the score 8-8 with under 16 minutes to play
- NC State playing man on the defense and the Seminoles can't drop a basket on three different attempts in the paint until Natasha Howard puts one down - FSU leads 10-8 with 14:13 to go
- The individual battles going on are making this game out to be a tough, gritty one so far
- Deluzio calling for it for the Seminoles and she drops one to extend the Seminoles lead to 13-8 with 12:35 remaining
- Both teams trading baskets as State pulls to within five points as FSU lead 17-12 with 11:13 remaining in the half
- Bravard gets a lay-up but is trumped by Kastanek's three-pointer as Florida State now leads 19-15
- Florida State's offense still earning baskets against the Wolfpack single coverage defense as these two teams continue to battle - Seminoles lead 23-15 at the 8:40 mark
- Deluzio drives the basket and gets the foul - she drops the FT and puts the Seminoles up 26-18
- Not to be outdone, NC State's Goodwin-Coleman hits a three-pointer to shorten the lead to five - 26-21
- State with possession comes up the floor - Burke misses a baby lay-up but gets her own rebound and finds Goodwin-Colemen but shot clock runs out
- Bravard drives the basket at the other end and is fouled - she hits both FT's - Seminoles now lead 28-21 with 6:50 to play
- The Wolfpack is making the Seminoles earn their points on the line and they oblige shooting 6-9 currently and leading by eight - 29-21
- Great outlet pass by the Wolfpack's Emili Tasler to Kastanek on the fast break and she scores the easy lay-up - Pack trails by six with 5:47 to go
- State switches the defense to zone and Natasha Howard hits a jumper and while State can't covert at the other end, Deluzio makes a baseline drive to score another two - FSU now leads 33-26
- FSU applying the zone defense as well but State's Kim Durham hits one from beyond the arc
- Deluzio has another shot to hit a three, but steps out-of-bounds
- NC State sets its offense up and Tasler inbounds - FSU has switched back to single coverage and Bonae Holston fights for two points and the foul - she misses the FT
- Florida State scores two straight baskets sandwiching a State turnover - now lead 38-28
- Holston scores again and the FSU lead is at eight - 38-30 with 2:18 to play
- After the Seminoles can't score on their possession, the Wolfpack moves the ball around and Durham finds an open Kastanek who scores on the play, gets fouled and drops the FT - cuts the FSU lead to five
- However, the Seminoles come back with a basket from Chastity Clayton - the Seminoles now lead 40-33 with 1:15 to go in the half
- State working hard to get another basket as the half is drawing to an end, and they do as Tia Bell narrows the lead to 40-35
- One last possession by the Seminoles allows Clayton to push the lead back up to seven at the half
2nd Half:Interesting note of the half:
Florida State: 17-33 (51.5%) - leading scorer - Alexa Deluzio - 8 points
NC State: 14-29 (48.3%) - leading scorer - Marissa Kastanek - 13 points
- NC State takes advantage of having first possession as Holston scores and FSU leads 42-37
- Florida State working the offensive boards getting three chances to score as Bravard scores a lay-up in the paint - Seminoles now lead 44-37 with 18 minutes to play in the half
- Deluzio hits a three-pointer and pushes the FSU lead to 10 points
- NC State grinding to get a basket inside and get one on a nice inbound pass from Goodwin-Colemen to Kastanek
- The Wolfpack takes advantage of a Seminoles turnover and Tia Bell scores an easy lay-up - FSU leads 47-41 with 16;44 to play
- Kastanek hits a three and FSU can't convert and State's Goodwin-Coleman drops another three and we have a tie game - 47-47
- Deluzio matches with a three to put the Seminoles back ahead 50-47 but Bell scores a jumper as the Wolfpack trails by one
- Not to be outdone, Deluzio hits another three-pointer - FSU now leads 53-49 with 13:55 to go
- Deluzio keeps the hot hand for Florida Staet as she drains another shot and FSU defends State effectively to deny a score - now lead 55-49
- Wolfpack defense working hard to defend against penetration offense from Howard and an offensive foul by Bravard gives NC State the ball
- Kody Burke hits a FT and we have a five-point game with just under 12 minutes to play
- FSU throws it out of bounds and NC State has a chance to draw closer
- The Seminoles' Bravard is subbed out as she earns her 4th personal foul - might open up the middle for the Wolfpack
- NC State's Erica Donovan throws one up from beyond the arc and it's a two-point game
- Tough rebounding underneath the basket after FSU can't score and Holston scores to even the score at 55-55 with 9:39 to play
- Pack changes to a zone defense and denies any outside shot from the Seminoles and break up the court
- Goodwin-Coleman drives the top of the lane and kicks out to Kastanek who has all day - hits it clean with three and NC State now leads 58-55 with 9:08 to play
- Delzuzio drives and gets the lay-up to re-take the lead for FSU
- The Wolfpack doesn't quit as Burke lays one up as well - Wolfpack leads 60-57
- Bravard is back in and drops a FT to narrow the lead by one
- NC State gets another two from Goodwin-Coleman
- Bravard answers with a lay-up - NC State leads by one - 62-61 with 7:22 remaining
- Wolfpack's Bell charged with an offensive foul on FSU's Howard and the score is tied 62-62
- FSU can't score and now defends NC State looking to retake the lead - they do with Holston hitting an outside jumper
- The Seminoles answer with a three-pointer from Howard and now FSU leads by one with 5:48 to go
- Deluzio goes to the FT line and scores both - Seminoles lead 67-64 with 5:10 to play
- Goodwin-Coleman answers with a three-pointer and the game is tied again with 5:02 left
- NC State playing close man coverage and making Deluzio earn the lay-up that she just made
- Howard is out for FSU and NC State has the ball trying to drive and tie the game trailing 69-67
- Holston does just that as scores to tie it up 69-69 with 3:38 to play
- FSU scores two to go ahead but with the drive to the basket FSU's Howard denies Holston the chance to tie it - FSU leads 71-69 with 2:39 to go
- Full-court press by NC State forces FSU to throw it away - NCSU inbounds and sets up the offense
- Goodwin-Coleman at the point, passes it off and gets it back but forces a shot that misses
- The Seminoles can't convert on their possession and the Wolfpack gets a chance to tie it with under two minutes to play
- Tasler hits at three and NC State leads 72-71 with 56.3 seconds left to play as Howard misses her shot
- NC State comes down with Goodwin-Coleman driving the lane on her own and the Wolfpack now leads 74-71 with 38.7 seconds left to go
- FSU with the ball and must hit a three to tie the game - they throw it out of bounds on the pass and must foul NC State to get it back
- Donovan goes to the line for NC State - she misses and FSU has a chance to tie it
- The Seminoles try to find Deluzio who gets an off-balance jumper off with no foul
- NC State rebounds it and Kastanek carries up the floor and stops before the basket to let time run out
NC State moves on to face the #1 Duke Blue Devils on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.
