Noles edge Pack women with last second shot

North Carolina State University

Noles edge Pack women with last second shot

Jan 27, 2012

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Raleigh, N.C. — Florida State needed 39 minutes and 58.9 seconds to make its first three-pointer of the game, and that first deep ball represented the difference as NC State fell 67-64 on a 24-footer in the waning seconds Friday at Reynolds Coliseum.

“The team’s just as brokenhearted as I am,” said NC State head coach Kellie Harper. “We’re disappointed that we couldn’t push that one into overtime to give ourselves a chance.”

After trailing for the entire second half by as much as 13, NC State (13-8, 3-5 ACC) made a final push down 64-58. Myisha Goodwin-Coleman made a pair of free throws to narrow the gap, before adding a steal and layup to tie her career-high of 17 points and cut the lead to 64-62 with 32 seconds to play.

On the next possession, Florida State (12-10, 4-4 ACC) opened the door when a pass over the top of the NC State press bounced through the legs of a wide-open Chasity Clayton with 17.7 left. The Wolfpack took advantage as Goodwin-Coleman dribbled right and found Bonae Holston on a wrap-around pass under the basket. Holston took a dribble to set her feet, then powered the game-tying layup through a Seminole defender with 8.9 to go.

After a timeout, Florida State’s Olivia Bresnahan broke the press and found Leonor Rodriguez up the sideline for a deep three from the wing leaving only 1.1 on the clock. Goodwin-Coleman’s desperation shot from half court missed to help the Seminoles escape with a 67-64 win.

“I don’t know if we overran the play and got screened, or if we were in a good spot and got screened,” said Harper. “We’ll have to look at the tape on that, but in the last seven or eight seconds of a game there’s a lot going on, and Florida State happened to make a big shot to get the win.”

Goodwin-Coleman added six assists and four steals to go along with her team-high 17 points. Holston posted 14 on 6-of-8 shooting. Lakeesa Daniel grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Pack.

NC State forced a season-high 32 turnovers, while surrendering a season-low 13. However, the Wolfpack let that advantage slip away in the paint as Florida State won the rebounding battle 46-28, and shot 56.9 percent to State’s 29.2.

The Wolfpack scored the game’s first six points, on its way to an 8-2 lead at the 16-minute mark. State was able to grab a 17-10 advantage before Florida State eventually took its first lead at 18-17 with 10:15 to go.

At 20-19, the Seminoles embarked on an 18-6 run to take control, opening up a 38-25 lead with 1:15 remaining. Goodwin-Coleman put an end to the run by hitting the game’s first three-pointer, coming with under a minute left in the half.

State managed to force 17 Seminole turnovers in the first half, but Florida State countered with a stellar 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) shooting performance to take a 39-30 lead into the break.

The Wolfpack faces a quick turnaround this Sunday at Virginia Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. with coverage provided by RSN and ESPN3. The Pack returns home Sunday, February 5 to host Virginia at 2 p.m.