STATE WBB WINS ACC CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

It’s official, NC State owns women’s ACC basketball winning back-to-back conference tournaments. A wild finish sees the Pack beat Louisville 58-56 and will now gain a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This marks the first time State WBB has repeated as champs, third in school history (men’s won B2B in 1954-56 and 1973-74).

The game, in many respects, felt like the Georgia Tech semifinals win. Back and forth throughout the first half, before Louisville went on a long 16-6 run that went over six minutes in length. Another big fourth quarter push was needed and, it came yet again, with Cunane grinding inside.

The biggest play was the game winner from Perez. With the shot clock off in a tied game, she moved around the perimeter. After cutting in and looking inside, nothing was to be found…so she decided to be cold blooded killer herself. The jumper with two seconds remaining and subsequent defensive hold, lead to balloons falling from the rafters.

Cunane the Easy Tourney MVP

The most consistent aspect of State’s play this weekend was Cunane. Just look at this three-game run:

Quarterfinals vs VT – 27 pts / 9 rebs – Game’s Leading Scorer
Semifinals vs GT – 23 pts / 9 rebs – Game’s Leading Scorer
Finals vs Louisville – 20 pts / 9 rebs – Game’s Leading Scorer

She got Louisville bigs in foul trouble, kicked out some beautiful assists and was easily the leader in team energy.

Finding Ways to Contribute

While struggling to hit shots Jones and Crutchfield found other ways to contribute.  Jones, who finished with 4 points, was the game’s leading rebounder with 10.  Crutchfield, scoring 6 points, was an unreal as the lockdown defender. Through the first half, her defensive pressure on repeat ACC POY Dana Evans, allowed for only two points against.

Moving Forward

With the win, State will grab a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Will likely be either second or third overall seed, behind Connecticut and South Carolina. Regardless, this three game stretch was an absolute BATTLE and showed State has a lot more heart than folks are giving them credit for.