Second-Half Run Sends Wolfpack Past Orange

Friday, March 7

Greensboro, N.C.

11 a.m.

Syracuse University

22-9, 10-6ACC

NC State

25-6, 11-5ACC

Syracuse

NC State

Photo by: Tim Cowie

3/7/2014 3:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

A 25-1 NC State runs erased a nine-point SU lead in the ACC quarterfinals.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. - Behind a 22-1 second-half run that erased a nine-point Orange lead, No. 14/17 NC State defeated Syracuse women's basketball, 79-63, in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The No. 5 seed Orange (22-9) will await the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Selection Show on Monday, March 17 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The fourth-seeded Wolfpack (25-6) advances to the ACC semifinals where it will meet top-seeded Notre Dame on Saturday.

Brittney Sykes led Syracuse with 14 points to go with eight rebounds and two blocks. Brianna Butler, Rachel Coffey and La'Shay Taft all added nine points each for the Orange, which shot 34.3 percent, including 9-of-32 from 3-point range.

Markeisha Gatling led the Wolfpack with 28 points and Kody Burke had a double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds in addition to five assists. NC State shot 44.4 percent overall and 6-of-16 from behind the arc.

After a Butler 3-pointer gave the Orange a nine-point lead, 48-39, with 15:35 to go, NC State went on a 25-1 run with all but the final three points coming from Burke and Gatling to take control, 64-49, with 8:08 to go. The Orange missed 16-straight field goal attempts before a Briana Day put-back with 7:44 left ended the almost eight-minute drought.

Within the run, there were three extended stoppages due to power issues at the Greensboro Coliseum related to an ice storm. The first came at the 13:40 mark and the second, a longer 12-minute delay, occurred at the 12:21 mark with NC State leading by three, 51-48, due to banks of lights going out. The third came at 11:30 in a 53-48 game due to the shot-clock and scoreboards losing power.

After play resumed, Alexis Peterson layups at the 6:40 and 4:52 marks sandwiched a Taft 3-pointer to get SU back within 10,and a Coffey runner with 3:31 to go got the Orange back within single digits, 69-60, but Ashley Williams hit a 3-pointer for the Wolfpack with 2:13 left to take the lead back to 12.

Sykes converted a 3-point play with 1:24 on the clock to make it a nine-point game again, 72-63, but NC State went 7-of-8 from the free throw line over the duration to ice the victory.

NC State jumped out to an early lead thanks to an 11-4 rebounding advantage in the first seven minutes. Sykes accounted for all six of the Orange's points when a Len'Nique Brown layup gave NC State a 14-6 lead with 13:10 left in the half, forcing an SU timeout.

Back-to-back 3-pointer by Taylor Ford and Brianna Butler, followed by a Cornelia Fondren runner gave Syracuse an 8-0 run that tied the game, 14-14. As SU's pressure defense began to force Wolfpack turnovers, it turned into an 18-4 Orange run, giving SU a 24-18 lead with 7:49 left in the half.

NC State responded with a 7-2 run to draw within one, but the Orange stretched the lead to seven at the half, 38-31. Sykes led the Orange's balanced offense with eight points, while Gatling led the Wolfpack with 10 first-half points.

Sykes' 14 points gives her a season total of 519, the fifth-most in program history.