NC State
9-4
Villanova
5-7
NC State Drops Road Contest at Villanova, 74-65
12/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
VILLANOVA, Pa. – The NC State women’s basketball team (9-4) fell on the road to Villanova in its final action of the 2014 calendar year, losing by a final score of 74-65. A hot-shooting second half by the Wildcats—which featured 10 made three pointers—proved to be the difference in the contest.
The Wolfpack limited Villanova to 27 points in the first half, but the Wildcats exploded for 47 in the second stanza led by 14 points from Emily Leer (4-6 from distance) and 12 from Alex Louin (4-4 from distance). Villanova shot 16-29 (.552) from the field in the second half and went 10-18 (.556) from distance.
“Villanova did a really good job of exploiting the people who were not defending well tonight,” head coach Wes Moore said. “We can’t worry about being shorthanded. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us, so we’ve got to fight, and we’ve got to battle.
“I’m not one to give up or back down, so we’re going to have to find a way to get it done.”
The Wolfpack was without the services of freshman Chloe Jackson and regular starter Krystal Barrett, both of whom are out with injuries.
Three Wolfpackers scored in double figures, as Dominique Wilson (19 points), Miah Spencer (18 points, 7-9 FG), and Jennifer Mathurin (10 points) all had strong offensive showings. Len’Nique Brown-Hoskin collected 10 rebounds for the second straight game while Spencer added six rebounds and five assists to her scoring efforts.
The Pack got off to a slow start from the field, but kept Villanova close with a strong defensive effort early. Trailing 17-11 with 11:05 remaining in the opening period, State ended the second portion of the first half on a 23-10 run to take a 34-27 lead into the halftime break.
NC State enjoyed very balanced scoring in the opening half, as seven of the eight players to take the court scored at least two points. Wilson led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with nine points on 4-7 shooting. Brown-Hoskin (six rebounds) dominated the glass in the first half while Spencer (four assists) was constantly finding the open teammate with a pinpoint pass.
The Pack showed great judgment in the first half, dishing out 11 assists (14 made FGs) compared to just one turnover. State also earned a 19-13 edge in the rebounding battle.
Villanova (5-7) was on fire in the second half, matching its first half point total (27) in just nine minutes and 11 seconds. Down five points (59-54), the Pack would battle back with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead (60-59) with 6:17 to play.
Down the stretch, Villanova would score 15 of the final 20 points (five from the FT line) to put the game away.
NC State will begin Atlantic Coast Conference play on Sunday, Jan. 4 at current No. 9 UNC-CH. Tip-off between the Wolfpack and Tar Heels is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on regional sports networks (RSN).
#GoPack
