NC State women’s hoops uses big rally to beat Virginia Tech, 89-87

Down 14 points in the fourth quarter, playing for the first time in three weeks and doing so without Elissa Cunane, NC State could have been forgiven for suffering its first loss of the season on Sunday. Instead, the Wolfpack Women found a way to come all the way back and win.

We shouldn’t be surprised about anything this team does. This is the second time this season they managed to erase a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and win.

It was a battle between two teams that were cooking offensively, and it was up and down all afternoon. The Hokies won the first quarter by seven, the Pack won the second by 13, the Hokies won the third by 16, and the Pack won the fourth by 12.

State’s disastrous third quarter appeared to have done them in, as the Hokies took a 10-point edge into the fourth quarter and led by 12 with 5:31 left. But from there the Wolfpack’s offense got in gear and got threes from Kayla Jones, Kai Crutchfield (2), and Jakia Brown-Turner, the latter of which knotted the game at 81 with 2:36 left. State needed all of three minutes to erase a 12-point deficit, which is rather impressive.

Without Cunane, who is in the COVID protocol, NC State got an outstanding collective effort at the offensive end. Brown-Turner scored 23 on 8-13 shooting, Crutchfield notched 20 on 7-10 shooting, and Jones scored 22 on 6-12 shooting. Those three combined to shoot 12-21 from beyond the arc.

That helped the Wolfpack overcome a 30-point, 13-rebound from Tech center Elizabeth Kitley, who made the most of Cunane’s absence in the post.

What a ballgame. And these teams will turn right around and play in Blacksburg on Thursday.