North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
10-5, 0-2
Miami
12-3, 1-1
Second-Half Comeback Falls Short for NC State
1/5/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2012
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – NC State trimmed a 20-point hole all the way down to three points on two occasions, but in the end No. 12/13 Miami held on for a 78-68 win at BankUnited Center on Thursday night.
Freshman guard Krystal Barrett scored a team-high 14 points for NC State (10-5, 0-2 ACC), while sophomore guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman scored 13 points before fouling out with 3:15 left in the game, and classmate Kody Burke added 13 as well.
Riquna Williams paced Miami (12-3, 1-1 ACC) with 22 points.
A 17-5 run for State out of the locker room showed it wasn’t ready to give up yet as it trimmed its 19-point, 44-25, halftime deficit to just 49-42 with 13:27 left. Barrett paced the attack with 12-consecutive points.
The deficit closed to 57-54 after a Bonae Holston layup with 7:17 left.
NC State still was within arm’s length, down five, when Williams showed why she is one of the best players in the conference by connecting on a three-pointer in the corner with a defender in her face to make it 69-61 with just over four minutes to go.
Williams made another deep shot after a steal at the other end and Miami was back in front, 72-61.
State never got closer than 10 points, and fall to 0-2 in conference play for the first time under third-year head coach Kellie Harper.
A pair of early three-pointers from State’s Emili Tasler (nine points) had the score tied 12-all at the first media timeout, and took its first lead of the game after a second-straight bucket from Goodwin-Coleman made it 18-17 with 12:45 left in the first half.
A third early field goal from Goodwin-Coleman gave the Pack a 23-21 advantage moments later, but from that point the offense sputtered the rest of the half.
State scored two points over the final 9:52. During that time frame, Miami ran off a 23-2 spurt for a 44-25 lead at the half.
Stefanie Yderstrom led the ‘Canes by scoring all 12 of her points in the first half, while Williams made two late first-half three-pointers that cemented the extended run to finish with 10 before intermission.
Miami has now won 33-straight games at home, the third longest streak in the nation.
The Wolfpack visits No. 7/6 Duke on Sunday in Durham at 2 p.m.
