NC State women’s hoops upset in overtime by Georgia, 82-80

Georgia hit a three-pointer with less than a second remaining in regulation to tie the game and force overtime, and as it turns out, it was the Bulldogs’ night. NC State couldn’t find any offensive consistency in the extra period and UGA never trailed in overtime.

The Wolfpack just could not make the plays it needed to win.

NC State did well to rally from double-digits down in regulation, turning a 12-point halftime deficit into a one-point advantage going into the fourth quarter. Georgia responded at the offensive end with its best quarter but still needed a very clutch, very long-distance trey from Sarah Ashlee Barker to extend the contest.

In overtime, Elissa Cunane missed on some opportunities she might normally convert. Kayla Jones missed a game-tying free throw with less than a minute left to increase the degree of difficulty. Cunane missed a somewhat rushed attempt in the paint during the waning seconds that allowed UGA to secure the upset victory.

It was a well-earned win for the Bulldogs and anyhow, it’d be tough for NC State to complain about the result after scoring just five points in overtime. State just wasn’t good enough, and UGA deserves a lot of credit for coming into a tough road environment and shooting the ball well.

This is not exactly the end of the world for the Pack, which ended up splitting its four non-conference games against top-20 teams. That’s fine, and State should be better down the line for nights like this. Still frustrating, though.