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Virginia Tech dominates No. 3 North Carolina State in Raleigh
Already coming off a win over the Wolfpack a month ago at Cassell Coliseum, 16th-ranked Virginia Tech is sure to pack on 3-point shooting heading into its return game in Raleigh and entered Thursday as the sixth-most efficient team in the nation. He made 11 triples against a tough defense and showed an overwhelming performance with 72 points. They defeated 3rd place North Carolina State University by -61.
The Wolfpack's 35 percent shooting anomaly was hard to fathom from the start, when Asiaha James made three consecutive basket attempts and the Wolfpack built an early one-point lead. Meanwhile, the Hokies spent a few minutes in the opening minutes establishing preseason All-American Elizabeth Kitley. He scored all of VT's first six points and had a near-perfect performance in another great performance. The lanky 6-foot-6 star finished. He had 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 steals. NC State settled down after James' hot start, but the Wolfpack remained competitive from the foul line with Madison Hayes hitting four freebies at the end of the first quarter, and 10 minutes into the game. led by 2 points.
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NC State held the Hokies to just one field goal through more than four minutes of the second quarter and managed to take a four-point lead at midfield. However, a three-point barrage spearheaded by VT dynamo Georgia Amoore would restore the advantage to the visitors.
Virginia Tech quickly gave the Hokies a double-digit lead as Matilda Ek and Kayla King, who had a huge showing Thursday with four threes apiece, each connected from long range, leading the team from behind the arc in the third period. He made a decisive run starting from . NC State cut the deficit to six points in the second half when Samiyah Rivers found herself completely alone in the left corner, but her shot clattered painfully on both sides of the rim. Virginia Tech responded with a triple on its next possession, and Amoore hit a buzzer-beater to give VT a game-high 13-point lead entering the final quarter.
The Hokies found success with their uncharacteristically destructive defense. Virginia Tech beat North Carolina State seven times in the second half Thursday despite forcing the fewest turnovers in the nation. Virginia Tech had dominated the season to take control of the ACC, and when combined with a 9-28 effort from the field in the final 20 minutes, North Carolina State never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.
No. 15 Louisville survives late against No. 12 Notre Dame
A historic night for Hannah Hidalgo, who broke Notre Dame's freshman scoring record with 30 points on Thursday, was spoiled by No. 15 Louisville's elite defense, but No. They held the big starters to just 9-29. Floor en route to a 73-66 win over Ireland.
A surprisingly warm February afternoon in Louisville couldn't instill the flavor of KFC Yum! Impressive appearance of the center. Hannah Hidalgo missed her first four shots of the afternoon and it took the visitors more than five minutes to connect from the field. Hidalgo was finally able to score near the rim off a Kyrie Watson steal, a bugaboo for the Cardinals that kept Notre Dame in the game, and KK Bransford ended a strong quarter with a jumper in front of the horn. They brought the Irish to within three points.
MARCH MADNESS: Full schedule for the 2024 women's tournament.
The Irish entered Thursday ranked No. 8 in the United States with 11.8 steals per game and was even more disruptive early on, forcing 12 turnovers in the first half. Notre Dame continued to increase its defensive intensity and Louisville's final four possessions of the first half came up empty, but Bransford and Hidalgo teamed up again to get ND to within one point just before intermission.
But even the half-time intrigue left the Irishman with no answer for Nyla Harris. The forward from Florida had a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds on stellar 9-for-11 shooting. He scored six points from the paint at the rim. Only a few minutes left until the start of the 3rd quarter. Harris' final basket in that stretch, a layup off a feed from Jada Curry, put the Irish down by 10 points and firmly in the danger zone with 14 minutes left, but Hidalgo led an immediate 9-0 lead. 2's reaction led ND to the finals. period of play.
Curry's triple gave the Cardinal a game-high 13-point advantage, but Louisville was disastrous at the line, trailing 2-6, and Maddie Westveld hit Notre Dame's second homer of the afternoon. The three points they scored narrowed the gap to four minutes. The last few seconds. Kiki Jefferson made a pair of clutch free throws, but Westbelt was unable to replicate the magic from long range, and Louisville took home the win and second place in the ACC table.
Caitlin Clark approaches scoring record in Penn State win
On Thursday night, No. 2 Iowa State defeated Penn State 110-93, with Clark scoring 27 points to move within 39 points of breaking Plumb's record, which Kelsey Plumb has held for seven years. It appears that the long-held record for women's college basketball's all-time points has reached its final days. . A spot in history is tantalizingly close for Clark, with the reigning Naismith winner handling the ball with remarkable abandon, dishing out a season-high 15 assists.
More: A look at Caitlin Clark's record-breaking NCAA Tournament performance by the numbers
Hannah Stuelke proved to be an outstanding receiver of Clark's facilitation, running the floor admirably in Iowa's high-powered offense, scoring 47 points on just 20 shots, including getting to the free throw line 21 times. I recorded this and enjoyed my career day to the fullest. Kate Martin also had 16 points and 16 rebounds, tying Iowa for the most points in the Big Ten this season.
