RALEIGH -- Miami’s combination of speed, outside shooting and rebounding made for a difficult assignment for the N.C. State women’s basketball team on Thursday night.
The No. 6 Hurricanes (23-3, 12-1 ACC) came into Reynolds Coliseum, a place they had never previously won, and set a pace the Wolfpack (15-12, 4-9) could not match over the long haul, securing a 73-61 victory before an announced crowd of 1,588.
And with seven minutes, 17 seconds left in the game, the Hurricanes took a 16 point lead on a 3-pointer by All-American candidate Riquana Williams. She launched the shot nonchalantly from the left arc and it fell softly through the nets.
The Pack had few answers for Williams – a 5-foot-6 senior point guard who entered the game averaging 15.6 points per game – and finished with a game-high 24 points. Her senior backcourt mate Shenise Johnson, the team’s leading scorer, added 12 rebounds, seven points and four assists and two steals.
Miami defeated N.C. State for the second time this season and handed the Pack its fourth consecutive conference loss. The Pack entered the game ninth in the league standings and have just three games left on its regular-season schedule, including a game against rival North Carolina on Sunday.
“I thought we played hard, I thought we played tough,” N.C. State coach Kellie Harper said. “I didn’t think we backed down to a very good and talented Miami team. There is a reason they are ranked No. 6 in the country. Their two guards are two of the best in the country. You got to see part of that tonight.”
Williams caught a hot hand and closed the first half with a burst of offense, scoring 11 consecutive points over the first-half's final 2:55. She staked the Hurricanes to a 44-32 half-time lead.
“Coach told us she was going to make her shots,” N.C. State freshman guard Erica Donovan said. “And she did.”
The Pack whittled Miami's first-half 12-point lead and tied the game at 22 with nine minutes to go. The score remained tight until Williams came out of a timeout firing from improbable places on the floor.
Williams, part of Miami's stellar backcourt with Johnson, led her team with 17 first-half points. She made 10 of 20 attempts from the field, though was 2-for-9 from 3-point range.
Johnson and Williams, however, received help from their teammates. In the backcourt, Stefanie Yderstrom scored 12 points and knocked down two 3-pointers, while 6-6 junior center Shawnice Wilson scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds – finishing layups inside with power and control.
“If that didn’t happen, then N.C. State had us beat,” said Meier, whose Hurricanes with Wilson’s help outrebounded the Pack 46-36.
In a physical game, one with elbows swinging and bodies colliding, N.C. State sophomore point guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman was hit in the shoulder on the game’s first play. She played just two minutes in the first half, though returned in the second to 14 points, including shooting 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
N.C. State junior guard Marissa Kastanek went out midway through the second half with a right ankle injury – tweaking an ankle she hurt earlier in the season at Georgia Tech.
“I’m proud of our kids and how hard we played,” Harper said. “Hopefully we can pull out the positives and build on that.”
