North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Falls to Vermont in Sheraton Raleigh Invite
11/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. - A sluggish start doomed NC State Saturday evening in the title game of its own Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational.
The Wolfpack fell behind by double digits in each half, clawed back to within two points in the final minute, but ultimately fell 52-47 to Vermont.
"I thought the biggest advantage [we had over Vermont] would be our energy," said Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper. "But we didn’t bring it in the first half and it was too late by the time we did."
Trailing by just a bucket out of halftime, State's Ellison knotted things 28-all with a drop step and a layup in the first minute of the second half.
A minute later a Holston putback layup gave the Pack just its second lead of the game, 30-29, and first since the opening minute of the game.
However, the resilient Catamounts dug in and put together a 13-2 run to go ahead by double digits, 42-32, with 14:27 left to play. Tournament MVP May Kotsopoulos (21 points) led the charge with nine straight points in a span of 1:49.
After a Tia Bell jumper it was six straight points for the Wolfpack to cut the lead back to four, 42-38.
After hanging around and certainly not playing its best game tonight, the Pack tied it at 47-all on a Lucy Ellison turn around jumper with less than a minute to play.
But that was the last points NC State would score and Vermont ran off the final five points to garner a 2-0 road trip.
The only positive that Harper may take out of this loss?
"I'm not at all into moral victories," said Harper. "But we played bad and still had a chance to win against a great basketball team."
Courtnay Pilypaitis added 15 points for Vermont and was also selected to the all-tournament team.
Nikitta Gartrell was the top scorer for the Pack tonight with 10 points. Bonae Holston (eight points, nine rebounds) and Amber White (six points) were selected to the all-tournament team along with FIU's Marquita Adley and Western Michigan's Miame Giden.
In the first half of play, the Wolfpack couldn't find its range in the early going and that allowed Vermont to pull out in front with an early lead. A jumper in the lane by Pilypaitis at the 10:35 mark made it 19-8 in favor of the visitors in green.
Holston grabbed her own miss minutes later for a leaning putback to cut the deficit down to 19-13. That was followed by a fast-break layup by Marissa Kastanek for a quick 6-0 spurt for the Pack and it was four-point game just like that.
13 turnovers hampered NC State in the opening stanza and UVm capitalized on those with 14 points of those miscues.
But after falling behind by as many as 11 points, Bell drilled a three-pointer in the final seconds to send both teams into the locker room with Vermont up just two points, 28-26.
NC State gets right back to action Tuesday against Florida Atlantic. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m., on Kay Yow Court at Reynolds Coliseum.
All-Tournament Team
May Kotsopoulos, Vermont (MVP)
Courtney Pilypaitis, Vermont
Bonae Holston, NC State
Amber White, NC State
Marquita Adley, FIU
Miame Giden, Western Michigan
The Wolfpack fell behind by double digits in each half, clawed back to within two points in the final minute, but ultimately fell 52-47 to Vermont.
"I thought the biggest advantage [we had over Vermont] would be our energy," said Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper. "But we didn’t bring it in the first half and it was too late by the time we did."
Trailing by just a bucket out of halftime, State's Ellison knotted things 28-all with a drop step and a layup in the first minute of the second half.
A minute later a Holston putback layup gave the Pack just its second lead of the game, 30-29, and first since the opening minute of the game.
However, the resilient Catamounts dug in and put together a 13-2 run to go ahead by double digits, 42-32, with 14:27 left to play. Tournament MVP May Kotsopoulos (21 points) led the charge with nine straight points in a span of 1:49.
After a Tia Bell jumper it was six straight points for the Wolfpack to cut the lead back to four, 42-38.
After hanging around and certainly not playing its best game tonight, the Pack tied it at 47-all on a Lucy Ellison turn around jumper with less than a minute to play.
But that was the last points NC State would score and Vermont ran off the final five points to garner a 2-0 road trip.
The only positive that Harper may take out of this loss?
"I'm not at all into moral victories," said Harper. "But we played bad and still had a chance to win against a great basketball team."
Courtnay Pilypaitis added 15 points for Vermont and was also selected to the all-tournament team.
Nikitta Gartrell was the top scorer for the Pack tonight with 10 points. Bonae Holston (eight points, nine rebounds) and Amber White (six points) were selected to the all-tournament team along with FIU's Marquita Adley and Western Michigan's Miame Giden.
In the first half of play, the Wolfpack couldn't find its range in the early going and that allowed Vermont to pull out in front with an early lead. A jumper in the lane by Pilypaitis at the 10:35 mark made it 19-8 in favor of the visitors in green.
Holston grabbed her own miss minutes later for a leaning putback to cut the deficit down to 19-13. That was followed by a fast-break layup by Marissa Kastanek for a quick 6-0 spurt for the Pack and it was four-point game just like that.
13 turnovers hampered NC State in the opening stanza and UVm capitalized on those with 14 points of those miscues.
But after falling behind by as many as 11 points, Bell drilled a three-pointer in the final seconds to send both teams into the locker room with Vermont up just two points, 28-26.
NC State gets right back to action Tuesday against Florida Atlantic. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m., on Kay Yow Court at Reynolds Coliseum.
All-Tournament Team
May Kotsopoulos, Vermont (MVP)
Courtney Pilypaitis, Vermont
Bonae Holston, NC State
Amber White, NC State
Marquita Adley, FIU
Miame Giden, Western Michigan
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