GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – NC State claimed its second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament championship on Sunday, turning back Louisville in a dramatic title game that lived up to its billing.
The second-seeded Wolfpack prevailed 58-56 in what will be remembered as one of the tournament’s more fantastic finishes. Raina Perez’s 17-foot jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining snapped a tie score, and ACC Player of the Year Dana Evans missed a 3-point try at the buzzer that would have won it for the top-seeded Cardinals.
NC State (20-2) earned the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament qualifying spot while securing back-to-back ACC Tournament championships for the first time in program history. Prior to winning each of the last two years under head coach Wes Moore, the Wolfpack’s previous tourney titles came in 1980, 1985, 1987 and 1991 under the legendary Kay Yow.
Wolfpack junior center Elissa Cunane, who averaged 23.3 points and nine rebounds in three games here this weekend, was named the ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
With the score tied at 56-all and 26 seconds remaining, it was Cunane who snared the rebound on a missed jumper by Evans. Moore opted not to call timeout, and NC State played on.
The Wolfpack looked inside for Cunane first, but a reset pushed the ball back out to Perez at the top of the key. The 5-4 point guard penetrated slightly while dribbling to her left, then pulled up and swished through the tie-breaking jumper.
After Louisville took a timeout, Kianna Smith initially looked inside, where her inbounds pass was knocked out of bounds beneath the Cardinals’ basket. The clock still showed 1.3 seconds.
On the second try, Smith found Evans on the right wing, but the Louisville senior’s shot bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded to set off NC State’s celebration.
Though Louisville came up short to the nationally third-ranked Wolfpack for the second time this season, the fifth-ranked Cardinals (23-3) are assured of a high seed when the bracket is unveiled next week for the 2021 NCAA Women’s Championship.
Cunane wound up the only NC State player scoring in double figures for NC State, but the Wolfpack got contributions from numerous others as it wiped out a 48-40 Louisville lead in the final nine minutes.
Kayla Jones, who pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, brought State to within 54-53 on a rebound follow with 3:52 to play. Kai Crutchfield stood out defensively and contributed a key 3-pointer to the Wolfpack’s decisive run.
Evans led the Cardinals with 15 points, and Smith added 13.
After leading 26-25 at the half, NC State appeared set to take control by outscoring Louisville 8-2 at the outset of the third quarter to go up 34-27. But the Wolfpack then missed six of its next seven shots from the floor, leading to a Cardinal counter-run that left NC State playing catch-up and setting up the dramatic finale.
ALL-ACC TOURNAMENT
First team
Elissa Cunane, NC State (MVP)
Kai Crutchfield, NC State
Dana Evans, Louisville
Kianna Smith, Louisville
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville
Second team
Lorela Cubaj, Georgia Tech
Emily Engstler, Syracuse
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech
Jewel Spear, Wake Forest
Cameron Swartz, Boston College