North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
4-1
Creighton
3-2
NC State Drops First Game of the Year at Creighton
11/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2011
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OMAHA, Neb. – NC State women’s basketball dropped its first game of the season 74-67 at Creighton on Sunday at D.J. Sokol Arena.
The Wolfpack fell to 4-1 on the year, while Creighton improved to 3-2.
It was a struggle all day for State as the team shot just 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the free throw line, while the Blue Jays made 12 three-pointers, with many of them of the timely variety when the Wolfpack began to climb back in the game.
Junior guard Marissa Kastanek, a native of Lincoln, Neb., led NC State with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Kody Burke posted her second double-double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and both Bonae Holston and Myisha Goodwin-Coleman each added 12 points.
Sarah Nelson paced Creighton with a game-high 22 points and hauled in 10 boards. Taylor Johnson had 15 points and Ally Jensen added 14.
Trailing by three, 33-30, at intermission, Creighton built its advantage to 11 points, 51-40 with just over 12 minutes to play.
A Holston lay in cut the deficit to 53-49 at the 8:30 mark, but Jordan Garrison hit another clutch three to send the lead back to seven, 56-49.
A Krystal Barrett bucket got the Pack to within two, 56-54 at the 6:03 mark, but another Garrison three pushed the lead back in favor of Creighton and NC State never got closer the rest of the way.
The hometown hero, playing in front of more than 100 friends and family, Kastanek scored the Pack’s first six points of the game for an early 6-2 advantage.
CU responded by making five of its first six from beyond the arc in the first half as the lead grew to 25-16 for the Blue Jays.
NC State responded with a 14-5 run to tie the game 30-all on a layup from Evans with 1:26 left in the first half. The freshman forward played a key role in the comeback with six points off the bench for the Wolfpack.
Nelson’s traditional three-point play with just under a minute left gave CU a 33-30 advantage at halftime.
The Pack visits Northwestern on Wednesday as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at 8 p.m. ET in Evanston, Ill.
