No. 2 NC State Slips By Virginia Tech in Final Minutes

Topher Wagner

January 25, 2021

RALEIGH, N.C. - In an instant classic, the No. 2 ranked NC State Wolfpack avoided a scare against Virginia Tech by rallying in the fourth quarter to win 89-87.

Coming into the contest, the Hokies had lost six out of seven games after their 6-0 start and desperately needed an upset win in the ultra competitive ACC. NC State was hoping to remain undefeated and keep pace with Louisville as one of the top teams in the country.

What followed was an electric back and forth affair that featured both teams holding double digit leads and comeback efforts. Fueled by a 23-6 run to end the third quarter, the Hokies led by as many as 14 late, before the Wolfpack tightened up on defense with a phenomenal full court press to rally and take a late lead.

“Proud of the kids and the effort, just not proud of the outcome,” Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said in a statement following the tight loss. “We can’t continue to keep coming close; we have to get over the hump. We’ll get better.”

From the start of the matchup, it was clear that the game was poised to be a high scoring offensive shootout.

At the end of the first quarter, the Hokies had a 24-17 lead in large part because of Cayla King, who hit three three-pointers in the opening frame. NC State was slow to adjust to the absence of leading scorer Elissa Cunane early, but relied on fellow star Jakia Brown-Turner, who had nearly half of the Wolfpack’s first quarter scoring.

“Early on, it seemed like they were kind of playing off of us, so we just took what they gave us at first and things started to open up from there,” Tech senior guard Aisha Sheppard said.

After dominating for the majority of the first half, the Hokies lead began to wither away as the Wolfpack utilized a lethal three point attack and depth scoring to rally back. The comeback was capped off by a 19-5 run to take a 47-41 halftime lead as NC State hit seven three pointers.

Camille Hobby also impressed as the sophomore center had nine points off the bench to close out the second quarter. The Wolfpack made some great adjustments as Hokies’ forward Elizabeth Kitley had to deal with constant double teams in the paint and was bottled up for long stretches.

Despite the deficit, by the start of the second half, it became quite apparent that the Hokies weren’t going to go away quietly. In what was a game of runs, Virginia Tech put together a phenomenal defensive stretch where the Wolfpack failed to hit a shot for nearly five minutes.

The Hokies’ offense also began to heat up as the star combination of Kitley and Sheppard began scoring at will. A three-point play by Sheppard to retake the lead halfway through the quarter had the Virginia Tech bench loud and on its feet as the upset watch was officially on.

“They didn’t have their usual post player here to play today so I think I took advantage of playing against players that weren’t as experienced,” Kitley said. “I also just did a lot of things that coach [Brooks] and I have been working on for the last week.”

After a back and forth game, it appeared that the Hokies would finally exorcise the fourth quarter demons that have plagued them this year as they clung to a 12-point lead with five minutes to go. Unfortunately for Virginia Tech, that was when the Wolfpack proved why they are the No. 2 team in the country.

NC State head coach Wes Moore dialed up an aggressive full court press and the tide turned instantly. An extended 19-2 run put the Hokies away as the Wolfpack never trailed again. Despite a tremendous 30-point performance, a desperation half court heave from Kitley fell short at the buzzer and the Hokies lost another heartbreaking ACC game.

The devastating loss drops Virginia Tech to 7-7 on the year with all losses being in conference. NC State continues their longtime dominance over the Hokies as they improve to 22-1 in the all-time series, while Virginia Tech is left reeling after another fourth quarter meltdown.

Interestingly enough, next up for both teams will be a rematch in Blacksburg as the Hokies will look to avenge this loss, while NC State aims to remain perfect.