1/9/2020 basketball Edit

NC State women's basketball suffers first loss in a tale of two halves

Justin H. Williams

Contributor

After a red-hot first half in Chapel Hill, the narrative changed drastically in the second half causing the NC State women’s basketball team to suffer its first loss, a 66-60 defeat at North Carolina.

The Wolfpack (14-1, 3-1 ACC) performed lights out on offense in the first two quarters, shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from the perimeter. While maintaining a comfortable lead throughout both opening quarters, the Pack fended off several runs from rival UNC (12-3, 3-1 ACC) in a half that was giving the scorekeeper at Carmichael Arena a workout.

NC State Wolfpack senior guard Aislinn Konig led all players on the floor with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a loss to North Carolina Thursday night. (USA Today Sports Images)

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Answering a late 11-0 second-quarter run by the Tar Heels, State answered with a 7-0 run of its own capped by a blocked shot by sophomore center Elissa Cunane which she converted into a fast-break assist for a layup by freshman wing Jakia Brown-Turner as time expired in the opening half. NC State looked well on its way to remaining undefeated heading into the locker room with a 38-28 lead.

But everything that went the Pack’s way in the first 20 minutes went against it in the second half. NC State was ice cold after the break, shooting a dismal 23.3 percent from the field.

“Frustrating game. We struggled inside some, we scored. Then like I said, we settled for threes a little bit too much in the second half,” said NC State head women’s basketball coach Wes Moore. “Tough game, that’s life on the road.”

Despite going cold, the Pack kept throwing up shots from beyond the arc as opposed to allowing its offense to flow inside as it typically does.

“We got lulled into a sense of security; in the first half we shot the three pretty well. I guess we thought we were gonna be able to that all night,” Moore said. ”We gotta try to attack. We shot four free throws, part of that is we weren’t attacking the basket enough.”

UNC's Bailey Limits Cunane In Physical Matchup

It wasn’t just a lack of offensive performance in the second half that caused the Pack to drop its first game of the season. Despite being the seventh-ranked rebounding team in the country entering the mathup, the Wolfpack was outrebounded by the Tar Heels 40-32.

Cunane, the Pack’s top rebounder, was faced with a physical challenge in her matchup with Carolina’s star center Janelle Bailey. Despite holding her own with 13 rebounds on the night, Cunane was visibly rattled at times.

“Bailey did a really good job on Elissa, bodying her up, being physical with her, and that gave her some trouble tonight,” Moore said. “You have nights like that and Elissa has been a very good player for us, and she will be again. We just gotta keep going to her and we gotta do a better job moving forward.”

The two centers exchanged blows and were tangled up throughout a game in which the referees regularly swallowed their whistles. Cunane found the floor routinely throughout the night and was never allowed to get into her routine scoring rhythm. She finished with a season-low eight points.

"Ace" Konig Puts On Shooting Clinic

One of the biggest positives for the Pack in its first loss was senior guard Aislinn "Ace" Konig. She was just one point shy of tying her season-high with 24 points, including going six for nine on three pointers.

The senior guard was able to take advantage of a Carolina defense that was obviously focused on stopping Cunane in the post, opening up shot opportunities away from the basket.

When the Pack went cold in the second half, Konig was one of the only reasons the game went down to the wire. A late three-pointer by Konig with 26 seconds remaining made it a one-possession game, giving State a glimmer of hope in a half where almost all was lost.

Her last three would be the Pack’s last points of the game while Carolina was able to make free throws down the stretch, putting the game out of reach.

“I told the team I want you to think about it tonight, feel it tonight. Tomorrow we gotta move on,” Moore said. “This league is like being out in the ocean, here comes another wave so you don’t really have time to catch your breath, you just gotta get ready for the next one.”