North Carolina
NC State
No. 13 Carolina Drops 88-72 Decision To NC State
February 21, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Amber White scored 23 points to help NC State beat No. 13 North Carolina 88-72 on Monday night.
Bonae Holston added 13 points and 16 rebounds as the Wolfpack (12-15, 3-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) finally broke through for a big victory after a series of crushing home losses this season. It was N.C. State's second straight win overall—and the second straight year the Wolfpack split the season series with its nearby rival after losing 19 of the previous 22 meetings.
It was a strong bounceback performance for White and Brittany Strachan, who combined to shoot 2 for 23 in last month's 83-76 loss in Chapel Hill. White went 7 for 13 and had six assists, while Strachan had 13 points and hit three 3-pointers.
She'la White scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Tar Heels (22-5, 8-4), who have lost two straight. Laura Broomfield added 11 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, her second career performance on the boards in as many trips to Raleigh.
The Wolfpack ran off 21 straight points in the first half to take a 14-point lead, only to see the Tar Heels erase that deficit and push ahead to a 55-52 lead midway through the second half. But this time, N.C. State answered with the kind of run it hadn't been able to manage before.
Strachan knocked down the go-ahead 3 for a 57-55 lead with 9:20 left to start the decisive 19-4 run. White scored seven points during the spurt, bouncing off She'la White in transition for an off-balance layup then following a few possessions later with a confident jumper that made it 72-59 with 4:49 left.
The Tar Heels, meanwhile, shot just 37 percent and committed 19 turnovers that the Wolfpack converted into 14 points.
Making it more impressive was the fact N.C. State won so comfortably while its top two players, Holston and Kastanaek, struggled with their shot. Holston went just 4 for 18 from the floor, while Kastanek—who had a career-high 30 points and six 3s in the first meeting—had 10 points on 4 for 15 shooting while missing all seven of her 3-point tries.
The Wolfpack also set a program record for the fewest turnovers in a game with four, also impressive considering how North Carolina thrives on trapping pressure to start its transition game.
