Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)
RALEIGH, NC – The latest Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) matchup between the NC State Wolfpack and the North Carolina Tar Heels took place on Play4Kay night at Reynolds Coliseum on Monday.
By the final whistle, it was the No. 25 Tar Heels (18-5, 7-3) who secured the narrow margin of victory on Kay Yow Court, a 61-59 decision over the Wolfpack (15-7, 8-3).
Team effort at both ends
North Carolina’s Lanie Grant led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, followed by a solid effort from Indya Nivar, who contributed 16 points, a team-high six assists, and seven rebounds.
Nyla Harris posted 10 points and a team-high 9 rebounds, while Ciera Toomey provided a defensive presence with 3 blocks for the Tar Heels.
NC State’s offense was fueled by Khamil Pierre, who finished with a double-double – 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Tilda Trygger’s 11 points and seven rebounds, combined with 10 points and eight rebounds from Qadence Samuels, and Zoe Brooks’ eight points, four assists, and three steals, supported the effort for the Wolfpack.
Momentum shifts tilted the floor
With the lead changing hands four times and evened up on four other occasions, neither side could extend its lead far enough, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
While the Wolfpack set the pace early, the Tar Heels’ mid-game surge provided just enough of a cushion to eventually survive the Wolfpack’s final attempts to win during the final seconds of play.
NC State took an early lead, outscored UNC 20–14 in the first quarter, and led by as much as nine points before heading into halftime leading by four, 34–30.
The momentum shifted significantly in the third quarter, where the Tar Heels’ defense held the Wolfpack to just eight points while scoring 18 of their own.
This surge allowed the North Carolina to build a 10-point lead with 4:20 remaining in the game.
Although NC State pulled close in the fourth quarter, winning the period 17–13, a final field goal with 12 seconds remaining, and the inability to draw fouls and no free throw attempts, couldn’t get them any closer.
UNC held on for the two-point win.
‘Rough shooting night’ for the Wolfpack
“It was just a rough shooting night,” Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore noted.
“I thought defensively we were on point. We gave up three offensive rebounds to one player, and that was really it. Overall, holding a team to 61 points, I think you’ve done a pretty good job. We still had some areas where we broke down in the scout, defending certain people and situations, but for the most part, I thought we were solid.
Again, the offensive rebounds we allowed were minimal, so good job there. Offensively, though, and I’ll take the blame for this too, I thought we settled a lot. We took step-backs and fadeaways. We shot two free throws in 40 minutes, so clearly we weren’t very aggressive getting to the rim or finding ways to get to the foul line. Again, we were 1-for-12 from three in the second half. It was just a bad night offensively. Like I said, I’ll take a lot of the blame for not getting us better looks. But they did a good job defensively and found a way to win.”
—
Triangle Sports Network: 401-323-8960 | @tsportsnet