MCLAMB: Through Grace The Pack Survives
It had many of the trademarks of a tough road loss -- and a second tough road loss this season to a Triangle rival.
Through Grace are ye saved, and when the clock struck zero NC State had found a way to survive at Duke.
Somewhere along the line there is a separator between good and elite teams. Good teams are like a feather in the wind. Their plight is aimless. There are times when they emerge victorious, but its occurrence is more random than anything else.
The elite teams make winning titles the mantra and they often give themselves a legitimate shot due their resolve when things are not going their best.
That is where NC State found itself on a warmer-than-average afternoon in Durham in front of a boisterous crowd -- aided in number and sound by the busloads of Wolfpack fans who made the trip from Raleigh.
Trailing by 10 halfway into the third quarter after a wretched first half with 15 turnovers and only three assisted field goals, the Pack’s offense was stuck in the mud.
“I told them during the timeout in the third quarter ‘Heck, we’re trying to win an ACC Championship. We’ve got 15 great teams in this league. It isn’t easy, and you’re going to have adversity. That’s what we were having today. You’ve got to compete,’” NC State head coach Wes Moore said.
Duke was not particularly efficient offensively. Otherwise, the gap would have been larger. NC State’s defense played a part in that, as the Blue Devils only scored 12 points off of turnovers.
When the going gets tough, Elissa Cunane is the easy look for the Pack – and when she got the ball inside she was essentially unstoppable. After a first half with only five points and four rebounds, Cunane torched Duke for 13 points in the third quarter to put her team within a possession entering the final 10 minutes.
The Blue Devils had sense enough to adjust, and the entry pass to Cunane became more difficult.
Last season the Wolfpack started its campaign 21-0, and by all accounts its second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance is nothing to be ashamed of. However, a slew of long-term maladies meant reaching the NCAA Tournament regional left much to the imagination, as well.
Four players suffered season-ending injuries over a span of four months. It provided some unexpected opportunities, including the revelation that Kai Crutchfield could be special at the college level, but NC State will always be left to wonder what could have been.
The injuries were brutal and continue to impact the Pack. Kaila Ealey is the point guard that can move Aislinn Konig off the ball and drive the lane with aplomb, but she is still not back to explosive pre-injury status. Erika Cassell started 23 games last season, yet she is still limited. Like Ealey, Cassell is running out of time in her college career. The duo still provides valuable minutes, but they are sadly a shell of the players they were, and they likely could have used more time to heal.
Then there is Grace Hunter.
An Athens Drive alum, Hunter was the pre-Kai Crutchfield revelation last season – at least to Wolfpack Nation. She was the leading scorer for a solid Charlotte squad during her sophomore season prior to transferring to NC State and picked right up where she left off with the 49ers. Hunter led the Pack in scoring and had six games of at least 10 rebounds before she, too, suffered the cruelest of fates when she saw her season end due to injury.
Hunter got hurt at the end of a game against Duke in which the final outcome was no longer in doubt. Naturally, her first vital performance of the current season was to help the Wolfpack climb to the top of a mountain and help her team pick up an important win over the Blue Devils.
Haley Gorecki (21 points, seven rebounds) drilled a three to hand Duke a 52-49 lead with 4:19 remaining. Cameron erupted, and most of the noise was not coming from the patrons wearing red.
It did not take long for the Wolfpack faithful to perk up, as Hunter tied it on the next possession with a three-pointer of her own. With 2:13 remaining and Duke up two, it was Hunter hitting again from behind the arc and NC State led by one. A Kayla Jones free throw extended the advantage to two points. That is where it stood with 35 seconds remaining. A defensive stop for the Blue Devils meant they would have a chance to win on the game’s final possession.
“At some point, you’ve got to be mentally tough, you’ve got to have that confidence in your gut and your heart that you can do this, and I can’t do that for you” Moore said to his team in the second half.
After a NC State timeout, Hunter pulled out the dagger. Her third three-pointer of the quarter killed the game off for the Wolfpack and gave her team a win as it continues to be a viable candidate for a conference title.
“It was huge, obviously,” Cunane said of Hunter’s heroics. “It helped us get the lead in the fourth. You pass it inside, and that opens up the outside shot. Whatever they chose not to guard, we’d burn them on it.”
Good teams might win those type of games, but the truly great teams almost always do. Moore’s squad, currently 21-1 overall, 10-1 in the ACC, and ranked seventh in the nation, is not an also-ran by any stretch.
Through guts, determination, and some good Grace, the Wolfpack kept its conference title hopes in the best possible shape. NC State has seven league games left, and the Pack controls its own destiny.
“It was amazing,” Hunter said. “It was the greatest feeling ever. I just thank the coaches and my teammates for still believing in me no matter what, and I thank Coach Moore for the opportunity today.”