NC State's historic 2020-21 season ends with Sweet Sixteen loss to Indiana

Concluding a 2020-21 campaign full of historical program accomplishments, NC State fell short of making more Saturday as its season came to a disappointing end, a 73-70 loss to Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The Wolfpack (22-3, 12-2 ACC) had an opportunity to earn the program’s second-ever Elite Eight appearance with a win over the fourth-seeded Hoosiers (21-5, 12-2 Big Ten). The Pack had even bigger goals in mind but instead will be left with a season’s worth of notable achievements, including a second-consecutive ACC Tournament Championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, both program-firsts.

“It's like you got this far yet to get nowhere,” All-American junior center Elissa Cunane. “I'm proud of us for getting to the Sweet 16, but that wasn't our goal. We knew we could go further than the Sweet 16. We're a number one seed, there's no reason why we couldn't have won this tournament. Knowing the expectations that we set on our team and coming up short, it just kind of sucks.

“We definitely could have gone further in that tournament, and that's going to be on the shoulders of us for the rest of our time here and beyond.”

Part of NC State’s identity this season became its ability to produce considerable late-game comebacks after a handful of fourth-quarter turnarounds, including two in the ACC Tournament, and it came just short of coming up with one more with a trip to the national quarterfinals on the line. Despite committing 17 turnovers and struggling to finish with three offensive rebounds, well below its average of 11 per contest, the Wolfpack had its chances.

It trailed by as much as 14 in the second half and overcame a 10-point deficit with 2:51 remaining to set up a potential game-tying layup attempt by Cunane with 30 seconds to go. The good look ended up rolling in-and-out of the rim, leading the Pack to put the Hoosiers on the foul line, where they extended their lead to four.

“Coach Moore drew it up for me to get the ball down low, and I just didn't execute it,” Cunane said."It was a good look. They were doubling all game I had a little double there, but I could of finished that. It was the look we were looking for. I got it inside and was just unable to execute that.

“I never doubted that we could win that game until the buzzer went off. The team never doubted each other. We all had each other's backs knowing that we could come back, that we've done it multiple times this season.”

Senior guard Raina Perez responded with a quick jumper in the lane to cut the difference to one possession with 13 seconds to go.

NC State head coach Wes Moore quickly called his last timeout, a rare self-admitted mistake for the 2021 WCBA National Coach of the Year. Considering Indiana was going to its last timeout to advance the ball to midcourt on the ensuing inbounds, the quick tigger proved to be costly in the final seconds of the game.

Hoosiers guard Ali Patberg was quickly fouled and made just one of her two free throw attempts, leaving the door open for the Wolfpack in a three-point contest with 11 seconds remaining.

The Pack had to immediately inbound the ball without any timeouts and were only able to manage a deep contended look for Cunane, which screamed off the backboard as the buzzer sounded.

“There were a lot of games similar to today where we fell behind and had to battle, find a way to come back and get a win,” Moore said. “Today, 14-down and a little bit of a different lineup than what we're used to, and they still found a way to get back in the game. We had a shot. I'm very heartbroken that I didn't do a better job in handling that timeout situation.”

The impact of Kayla Jones' absence

For the second-consecutive game, NC State was without starting senior forward Kayla Jones due to a patella tendon injury she suffered in the first round against North Carolina A&T.

Jones, a first-team All-ACC honoree and the team’s second-leading rebounder as well as its third-leading scorer, was seen warming up before the game and was technically suited up to play with the potential for limited minutes but ultimately never saw the floor.

In the absence of Jones, the Pack was only able to get two points in 21 combined minutes from its bench.

“We were short-handed by a really good player in Kayla Jones, and I'm proud of the way our kids fought,” Moore said. “We had people playing in some spots they probably hadn't played all year, but I was proud of the way they competed.”

Too many turnovers, not enough offensive rebounds

All five of NC State’s starters finished with nine or more points.

The Wolfpack also shot the ball at a 50 percent clip compared to Indiana’s 48 percent field goal shooting and made 9-of-19 (47 percent) three-point attempts compared to just two makes from deep from the Hoosiers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome several costly turnovers and an 8-3 deficit on the offensive glass.

“You got to give them a lot of credit, they did a great job of making it difficult,” Moore said. “They got in the passing lane some, and they did a really good job of helping on penetration and helping on the post. Elissa got swarmed quite a bit when she got the ball in there, and she had a few turnovers from the way they were doubling and helping on her.

“We didn't have a single offensive rebound in the first half, and actually we didn't go get an offensive rebound the entire game which is amazing. We had three team offensive rebounds, so that tells the story too. We weren't able to get to the glass and get an extra look or two.

“Indiana just played a very tight game. They took care of the ball better, they did a better job on the boards, and consequently, even though we may be shot a little better, they got more opportunities and took advantage of that.”

Numbers of Note

10-of-11 Was senior guard Kai Crutchfield's shooting percentage from three for the NCAA Tournament. For the second consecutive contest, Crutchfield was a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

10 Steals Indiana was able to force of the Wolfpack’s 17 turnovers. NC State only forced one steal of the Hoosiers’ nine turnovers.

14 Points was the margin of difference in points in the paint between the two teams. Indiana outscored NC State 42-28 in the post.

18 Points per game was sophomore forward Jada Boyd’s scoring average in the NCAA Tournament. She scored 18 points in each of the Pack’s three games on 22-of-34 (.647) shooting.

7 Free throws were attempts by NC State in the loss. The Wolfpack averaged 16.5 per game this season and finished fourth in the ACC in total free-throw makes (311).