North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
10-15, 1-9ACC
Georgia Tech
19-8, 7-4ACC
Pack Comes Up Short at Ga. Tech
2/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2011
ATLANTA, Ga. --- NC State made a furious second-half comeback but fell short 74-65 at Georgia Tech Sunday evening from Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
The game was part of ESPN’s “February Fenzy.” That meant pink was a plenty both in the stands and on the court. For a change, Georgia Tech was wearing pink jerseys, while both teams donned pink Nike shoes to show support for the fight against breast cancer and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
NC State (10-15, 1-9 ACC) got a team-high 14 points from sophomore Marissa Kastanek. Senior Amber White had 11 points, and both Bonae Holston and Kody Burke added 10. Burke also hauled in a team-topping 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the year.
Georgia Tech (19-8, 7-4 ACC) received a game-high 26 points and 12 boards from senior reserve Alex Montgomery. Tayunna Marshall had 12 points, while Deja Foster round out the double-figure scorers with 11.
With the Wolfpack deficit at 20 points with 6:38 left in the game, Kastanek started a Wolfpack comeback with her second three-pointer of the second half. That began a 19-7 run that brought the visitors to within eight, 73-65, after a Burke jumper with 1:12 to play.
NC State ran out of time, but showed the grit it has displayed all season long despite being short handed. A roster move similar to something out of Major League Baseball, head coach Kellie Harper added former manager Paige Woodard, and current cross country runner Paige Woodard last night after junior Kim Durham was sidelined yesterday in practice after a concussion.
Woodard played one minute in her college debut for the Raleigh native.
The Yellow Jackets came out of halftime with a 14-5 spurt and a 45-27 lead with 16:11 to play.
The lead grew to 24 points midway through the second half for the Jackets as they looked to snap a three-game losing streak.
Any worry of heavy legs after the four-overtime marathon Thursday wasn’t evident early on as White knocked in her first three shots and the Pack made 4-of-5 from the field to lead 8-0.
The Yellow Jackets responded with the game’s next seven points, but the Wolfpack answered with the following five to lead 13-7 after a long jumper from Burke with 12:53 on the first-half clock.
Again Georgia Tech came back with the next 10 points to take its first lead of the game, 17-13.
As one might have guessed, the next seven points came from NC State. A three from Goodwin-Coleman made it 20-17 Pack with 6:31 until the half.
The trend continued. Georgia Tech got its fast break going, scoring 13 straight to lead 30-20 with under three minutes before intermission. Montgomery scored the final five points in the run.
Georgia Tech went into the locker room with a 31-22 lead. After starting out by making six of its first 11 shots, the Pack made just four of its final 19 attempts in the half. Kastanek, the team’s second-leading scorer at over 14 points a game, was limited to one bucket after picking up two fouls early fouls.
NC State visits Virginia Tech on Thursday at 7 p.m.
