N.C. State faces Notre Dame in Bridgeport, Conn. in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16.
The Wolfpack and Irish tip off at 11:30 am on ESPN. The game is a rematch from a Feb. 1 showdown in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame (24-8) defeated N.C. State (31-3) by three that night.
The Wolfpack is 1-13 all-time in Sweet 16 games.
The News and Observer’s Jonas Pope IV is on site in Bridgeport at Total Mortage Arena and will have live observations from the scene.
Jones leaves game
Just as N.C. State was getting into a groove to start the second half, senior Kayla Jones left the game.
At the 4:56 mark of the third, officials blew the whistle to stop play and Jones headed straight to the N.C. State bench. After sitting there briefly, Jones headed to the locker room area. Notre Dame led 44-38 at the time play was stopped. Jones had five points for N.C. State.
Notre Dame 38, NC State 30 - Halftime
The Irish outscored the Wolfpack, 26-14, in the second quarter. N.C. State committed four turnovers in the first half and never appeared to get any rhythm. Irish guard Olivia Miles was the best player on the floor, scoring 15 points in the first half. Notre Dame shot 76.9% from the floor in the second quarter.
Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld (34) drives the lane against North Carolina State forward Jakia Brown-Turner (11) during the first quarter of a college basketball game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA women’s tournament, Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Bridgeport. Frank Franklin II AP
Pack 0-for-4 from deep
Wes Moore has said the 3-point shot is like a dunk for N.C. State, it gets the team going. The Pack, one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, did not hit a 3 in the first quarter.
They went 0-for-4 from deep. The Pack shot 5-for-20 from 3 in the first match up in February. N.C. State led Notre Dame, 16-12, at the end of the first quarter.
Slow start
N.C. State started the game 1-for-6 from the field, at one point missing three in a row and falling behind 7-3. The Pack responded by scoring four straight to tie the game at seven.
The starters are trying to find their groove as all five players have attempted at least one shot at the 4:45 mark.
North Carolina State forward Kayla Jones (25) drives against Notre Dame forward Maya Dodson during the first quarter of a college basketball game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA women’s tournament, Saturday, March 26, 2022. Frank Franklin II AP
Starting five
The Wolfpack is expected to roll out the familiar starting lineup of Elissa Cunane, Kai Crutchfield, Kayla Jones, Raina Perez and Jakia Brown-Turner. N.C. State is 29-2 this season with that starting lineup. Four players — Perez (15.5), Brown-Turner (12.0), Jones (12.0) and Diamond Johnson (13.5) — are averaging double figures in scoring in the NCAA tournament.
Notre Dame’s projected starting five is Maya Dodson, Dara Mabrey, Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld.
Dodson, a 6-3 graduate forward, had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first match up.
Pack on a roll
The Pack has won 12 in a row and hasn’t been defeated since its loss to Notre Dame. The Irish, though, have a leg up in the all-time series. Notre Dame leads N.C. State 8-2 in the previous 10 meetings. Both of the wins have come during N.C. State’s Wes Moore era. The Pack is looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1998.
Early bird
With the 11:30 a.m. tip time, the Wolfpack got up early for shootaround at Total Mortage Arena. N.C. State had a 5:30 a.m. morning shoot around.
This story was originally published March 26, 2022 at 10:58 AM.
Sports reporter Jonas Pope IV has covered college recruiting, high school sports, NC Central, NC State and the ACC for The Herald-Sun and The News & Observer.
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