Raina Perez hit a jumper from near the left elbow with 2.1 seconds left to help No. 3 North Carolina State beat fifth-ranked Louisville 58-56 in Sunday’s championship game of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Perez’s shot broke a tie game in a tense finish between two of the nation’s top teams in which neither led by more than one point over the final 4 minutes. And it secured the Wolfpack’s first back-to-back titles in program history.
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Elissa Cunane scored 20 points to lead the Wolfpack, earning tournament MVP honors while beating the Cardinals for the second time this season.
On the winning play, Perez initially started to pass to Cunane rolling into the lane, but the point guard had to pull the ball back when the pass wasn’t there. Instead, she collected her feet and shook off six straight misses dating to the second quarter to cleanly bury the jumper for the second-seeded Wolfpack (20-2).
The top-seeded Cardinals (23-3) had a final chance to win it, inbounding the ball under their own basket with 1 second left. But two-time ACC player of the year Dana Evans missed a 3 off Kianna Smith’s inbounds pass at the horn, sending Wolfpack players spilling to center court to celebrate.
As Wolfpack players mobbed and hugged each other, Evans crumpled to the court near the Louisville bench, then covered her face with her hands as teammates quickly gathered by her side.
It was a disappointing final play for Evans after she had struggled with her shot for the previous two games and the first half Sunday. After starting 2 for 11 in this one, Evans suddenly got rolling in the third quarter with multiple tough drives as well as a fourth-quarter 3-pointer to finish with a team-high 15 points.
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BIG PICTURE
N.C. State: The Wolfpack broke through last year for the program’s first ACC Tournament title since 1991, part of coach Wes Moore’s push to do “special things.” Add another big item to…
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