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The 19th-ranked N.C. State Women’s Basketball team had yet another big win tonight in an immensely entertaining basketball game. They won on the road against #9 Louisville, their third win over a top 10 team this year (2 of those on the road). After coming out flat and trailing 24-10 after the first quarter, they stormed back and outscored the Cards 42-21 over the next two quarters. Louisville rallied behind a whole bunch of free throws and sent the game to overtime. In OT, senior point guard Miah Spencer (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite Wolfpack players ever) put the team on her back. First she hit an and-1 layup to put us ahead by one, then she had an assist for an open three to give us a two point lead. Lastly, with the game tied, she did this:
#WPN!
@ilovelebron_23 just made like Lebron to be the hero for @PackWomensBball!
A #MustSeeACC buzzer beater! pic.twitter.com/Xa5qR2xDTZ— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) February 3, 2017
Louisville was playing without one of their stars, but it’s still a huge win for the Pack, especially with two of their starters (Chelsea Nelson and Dominique Wilson) struggling with foul trouble most of the second half.
Depth has been an issue for the Pack for a lot of this season. The starting lineup, featuring 4 seniors and a junior, is excellent, able to hold their own with anyone. The bench has had some real problems though. Some of the younger post players (DD Rogers, Nae Nae Cole) have shown potential, but none have established themselves as solid rotation pieces off the bench. In the backcourt, sophomore Camille Anderson got a fair amount of playing time last season, but she missed the first half of this season and has seemed like she doesn’t quite have her legs back under her when she’s gotten on the court. Star freshman Ace Konig was a real asset off the bench early in the season, but she had to have foot surgery a couple games into the conference schedule, and it’s unclear if she’ll be healthy in time to play again this year. So depth has been an issue. This game was a huge encouragement though, and a real sign of the development this coaching staff has gotten out of two players in particular. With Nelson and Wilson in foul trouble we needed help, and it came from Akela Maize and Kaila Ealey. Maize, our 6’5 backup center, has come so far even since the beginning of this year that she’s almost unrecognizable. I used to cringe when she caught the ball. She looked so uncomfortable in the post. Despite her size advantage, she would often fling up the quickest shot she could when the ball touched her hands. She was a turnover or a missed layup waiting to happen. In the span of less than a season, she has developed into a legitimate weapon in the post. Tonight she had 11 & 5 on 4-5 shooting and had 3 blocks. She has become a reliable finisher, and can reliably hit short jumpers turning over either shoulder. Twice tonight she caught the ball, waited for the double team, and found the cutter on the weak side for a layup. I never in a million years would have expected the player I saw last year to be able to do that. She’s been growing more and more each game, and it’s awesome to watch. Ealey is redshirt freshman point guard who is a tremendous athlete, but has that very freshman problem: she’s almost always playing at top speed. When she learns to be patient and change pace (and use her left hand) I think she’s going to be awesome, but she’s had her ups and downs. Tonight, she came in and played excellent defense against Louisville star Asia Durr, as well as leading the Pack with 9 rebounds against the best rebounding team in the ACC. She also only turned the ball over once against a Louisville team that pressed most of the game.
The Wolfpack Women unfortunately dropped a game against a bad UNC team last Sunday (but we all know a game at UNC is never easy, regardless of what the records say), but they’re still tied for 3rd in the ACC (and they’re the only team that’s beat the top 2 teams) and the hard part of the schedule is behind them. They’ll be favored in every game from here on out, and a 13-3 or 12-4 conference record is well within reach.
I say this every time, but if you haven’t come to a women’s game yet, you really should. The team is a ton of fun to watch, and they’re extremely well coached. Even though I miss the feel of the old Reynolds, the new Reynolds is beautiful and a great place to watch a game. It may just be my imagination, but I think the crowds have been getting better and better for the home games, and there’s a great atmosphere there. It’s well worth your time to come watch some great basketball and support an NC State basketball team that actually plays defense.
Was a great game. Had a bad vibe that the home Court advantage was shifting old Mo to the Birds.
Last shot was not pretty, but it finally rattled in.
At least ONE of our Revenue sports is a top 25
Wow, 3 passes in 10 seconds. That’s awesome to watch. Imagine that – passing the ball to other teammates!
Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy. Mao Zedong
I watched the clip and wondered what the heck the male official was doing at the end. Game is over. Is it his job to keep the winning team from celebrating. The female official looked professional BTW.
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