Thursday, February 4
South Bend, Ind.
7PM
NC State
(16-7, 7-3)
46
at
82
#3/3 Notre Dame
(22-1, 10-0)
1
2
3
4
F
NC State
12
13
10
11
46
Notre Dame
19
19
29
15
82
Wolfpack’s Winning Streak Interrupted at No. 3 Notre Dame
2/4/2016 8:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The NC State women's basketball team (16-7, 7-3 ACC) had its three-game winning streak interrupted Thursday evening at No. 3/3 Notre Dame, falling to the Fighting Irish (22-1, 10-0 ACC) by a final score of 82-46.
The road loss was just the second sustained by the Wolfpack in ACC play this season, as NC State is now 3-2 in league games away from home and 1-1 in such contests at ranked conference opponents.
"Tough night," NC State head coach Wes Moore said in the Wolfpack's postgame press conference. "Notre Dame has great talent, a great coach, and I thought in the third period they just took over. At halftime we were down 13, which is still manageable, but in the third period I thought they looked like the Globetrotters and we looked like the Generals.
"They were knocking down shots and we didn't do a very good job of rotating. Then on the other end of the floor, I thought they did a great job defensively as a team, rotating, which caused us to commit 24 turnovers, leading to a lot of points."
Five Fighting Irish players scored in double figures on Thursday, with Madison Cable's 25 points and seven rebounds leading all players in both categories. She was joined in double figures by Brianna Turner (14 points), Marina Mabrey (11), Arike Ogunbowale (10), and Lindsay Allen (10).
Miah Spencer led the way for the Wolfpack, scoring 13 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out three assists. She was joined in double figures by 11 points from reigning ACC Player of the Week Dominique Wilson. Sophomore Chelsea Nelson added seven points and freshman Lena Niang chipped in six (2-2 shooting) and three rebounds during just five total minutes of play near the end of the game.
NC State's defense forced 12 Notre Dame turnovers in the first 20 minutes of the contest, but the Fighting Irish shot even more accurately than their No. 4 in the nation FG percentage by hitting 13 of 26 field-goal attempts (.500). Cable had a very strong first half for the hosts, scoring 18 points on 5-8 shooting. Spencer led the Wolfpack with nine points while Carlee Schuhmacher snatched a team-high four rebounds in the opening half.
Holding a 38-25 lead at the half, Notre Dame found a higher gear in the third quarter, shooting 11-16 from the field to outscore the Wolfpack 29-10 and extend its advantage to 32 points (67-35). NC State scored five second-chance points and forced Notre Dame into committing five turnovers in the fourth quarter, but the Irish outscored the Wolfpack 15-11 over the course of the final 10 minutes to bring the game to its ultimate conclusion.
"We've got a ways to go, but we'll get there," Moore added. "When we do, it will be that much sweeter. Sunday is a big, big game. It's always a big challenge over at their (Wake Forest's) place. We are going to have to be ready to bounce back and play."
NC State returns to action on Sunday, February 7 at Wake Forest. Tipoff between the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons is set for 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on RSN/ESPN3.
#GoPack
The road loss was just the second sustained by the Wolfpack in ACC play this season, as NC State is now 3-2 in league games away from home and 1-1 in such contests at ranked conference opponents.
"Tough night," NC State head coach Wes Moore said in the Wolfpack's postgame press conference. "Notre Dame has great talent, a great coach, and I thought in the third period they just took over. At halftime we were down 13, which is still manageable, but in the third period I thought they looked like the Globetrotters and we looked like the Generals.
"They were knocking down shots and we didn't do a very good job of rotating. Then on the other end of the floor, I thought they did a great job defensively as a team, rotating, which caused us to commit 24 turnovers, leading to a lot of points."
Five Fighting Irish players scored in double figures on Thursday, with Madison Cable's 25 points and seven rebounds leading all players in both categories. She was joined in double figures by Brianna Turner (14 points), Marina Mabrey (11), Arike Ogunbowale (10), and Lindsay Allen (10).
Miah Spencer led the way for the Wolfpack, scoring 13 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out three assists. She was joined in double figures by 11 points from reigning ACC Player of the Week Dominique Wilson. Sophomore Chelsea Nelson added seven points and freshman Lena Niang chipped in six (2-2 shooting) and three rebounds during just five total minutes of play near the end of the game.
NC State's defense forced 12 Notre Dame turnovers in the first 20 minutes of the contest, but the Fighting Irish shot even more accurately than their No. 4 in the nation FG percentage by hitting 13 of 26 field-goal attempts (.500). Cable had a very strong first half for the hosts, scoring 18 points on 5-8 shooting. Spencer led the Wolfpack with nine points while Carlee Schuhmacher snatched a team-high four rebounds in the opening half.
Holding a 38-25 lead at the half, Notre Dame found a higher gear in the third quarter, shooting 11-16 from the field to outscore the Wolfpack 29-10 and extend its advantage to 32 points (67-35). NC State scored five second-chance points and forced Notre Dame into committing five turnovers in the fourth quarter, but the Irish outscored the Wolfpack 15-11 over the course of the final 10 minutes to bring the game to its ultimate conclusion.
"We've got a ways to go, but we'll get there," Moore added. "When we do, it will be that much sweeter. Sunday is a big, big game. It's always a big challenge over at their (Wake Forest's) place. We are going to have to be ready to bounce back and play."
NC State returns to action on Sunday, February 7 at Wake Forest. Tipoff between the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons is set for 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on RSN/ESPN3.
#GoPack
Team Stats
ST
ND
FG%
.333
.526
3FG%
.111
.353
FT%
.571
.800
RB
28
38
TO
24
19
STL
6
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's BasketballForward
/ Women's Basketball
Center
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
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