But Wednesday night's 58-57 loss to Michigan State in a Women's National Invitation Tournament semifinal at the Breslin Center was just as heartbreaking.

"I was very disappointed with the outcome," Yow said. "But we're a young team, so, it was important for us to get this far."

A missed free throw by Michigan State's Cetera Washington gave the Pack a five-second window of opportunity to advance to the WNIT championship, but a last-second shot by N.C. State's Shayla Fields was just off the mark as the clock turned zero.

The Wolfpack players were too shaken up after the loss to speak to the media.

Senior Khadijah Whittington finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds in her last game for the Pack.

"She came up through some rough times, and she will be the first member of her family with a college degree," Yow said of Whittington's graduation in May. "I know that our relationship will continue well after she's gone, she's just that type of person."

Yow said she expects Whittington to be getting on a plane bound for Tampa, Fla., for the WNBA combine that will be held after the NCAA Women's Tournament championship.

N.C. State tried to come back when Tia Bell put the Wolfpack up 55-54 with a little over a minute left.

MSU's Alyssa DeHaan countered with her own basket, putting the Spartans up by one.

Then, Lucy Ellison's two that gave the Pack a 57-56 advantage with less than 30 seconds left.

N.C. State couldn't stop the Spartans' interior passing underneath the basket, falling behind 9-0 to begin the game before Yow was forced to call a timeout.

"We just needed to work on our perimeter," Yow said. "After that, we came out pretty composed."

The Wolfpack regained the lead, 26-20, its largest margin of the first half, before the Spartans went on an 8-2 run to close out the half, tying the score at 28.

Early in the second half, the score was stuck at 45-41 for about five minutes before DeHaan put in a free throw for Michigan State, followed by a Whittington basket for N.C. State.

DeHaan finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five blocks for Michigan State.

"For a big girl, she has a nice shooting touch," Yow said. "We tried as much as we could to stop her from from getting in the paint - it just wasn't good enough."

DeHaan put in the winning basket with 10 seconds left, but what was just as exciting for Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant was standing on the same court with Yow.

"You start off in this profession admiring a lot of people," Merchant said. "Kay Yow is someone who has really changed the profession for us.

"Everything you hear about how her players feel about her is how you hope your kids feel about you someday."

After the Pack trailed for most of the second half, Gartrell put in a 3-pointer that tied the score at 48 apiece.

Mia Johnson then scored with one of her own for Michigan State. Johnson led all scorers with 17 points.

"I remember Coach Yow recruiting me when I was in high school," Johnson said. "Playing against the ACC is definitely my style, I feel more comfortable.

"It was definitely a confidence booster."