March Madness 2022: Perez’s late basket lifts NC State to 66-63 win over Irish

Raina Perez determined to return again for another season and hopefully elevate N.C. State to new heights. The senior guard did simply that, serving to the Wolfpack advance to their first regional ultimate in 24 years.

The senior guard stole the ball at midcourt and made a go-ahead layup with 14 seconds left to ship the top-seeded Wolfpack to a 66-63 comeback win over No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday.

It’s the Wolfpack’s first journey to the Elite Eight since 1998, once they reached the Closing 4.

N.C. State had misplaced within the Candy 16 the earlier three tournaments and appeared as if it was going to make it 4 straight till the late rally led by Perez and Kai Crutchfield, who additionally got here again for the additional COVID 12 months granted by the NCAA.

“For this group it might have been arduous for me to face the very fact all of them got here again and we nonetheless did not recover from the hump,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore stated. “That makes me really feel actually good and I am so excited for our program to do that, type of break by way of. It took some time, 4 years of the Candy 16, to get by way of that wall.”

It wasn’t the primary time that Perez got here up enormous for the Wolfpack on a giant stage. She hit the game-winning jumper to elevate them to the ACC event championship final season.

Trailing 59-51 early within the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack rallied, scoring 15 of the ultimate 19 factors capped by Perez’s layup. The Irish had one final likelihood, however Maddy Westbeld missed a 3-pointer from the wing and Perez hit each free throws for the ultimate margin.

“We apply this and knew I may do it,” Perez stated of the free throws. “I’m simply so joyful I knocked them down.”

The Wolfpack had gotten inside 63-62 when Elissa Cunane made the primary of two free throws with 36 seconds left. After a Notre Dame timeout, the Irish received the ball inbounds within the backcourt and Dara Mabrey was stripped close to midcourt by Perez, who took it in for the layup and the lead. It was their first because the 7:43 mark of the second quarter.

N.C. State (32-3) superior to the regional ultimate Monday evening the place it should face second-seeded UConn.

Cunane scored 16 factors and Crutchfield added 14 for the Wolfpack, who avenged an earlier loss to the Irish on Feb. 1. That was N.C. State’s most up-to-date lack of the season and solely defeat in convention play.

“It’s a hump we needed to recover from and the ladies are decided and I’m decided and we made it occur.” stated Crutchfield of reaching the regional ultimate.

Olivia Miles scored 21 factors and Westbeld added 13 for the Irish (24-9).

“Nobody thought that we’d do that coming from a group that didn’t make the event final 12 months and fought by way of a variety of adversity with COVID and accidents and gamers,” Miles stated. “It’s simply unimaginable to see what we’ve completed, and I’m certain we’re going to recollect this sense like we remembered the sensation final 12 months and are available again and go even farther.”

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey has the Irish again among the many nation’s elite girls’s basketball groups in her second season as head coach. The Irish missed the NCAAs final 12 months for the primary time since 1995.

“I wished to emphasize that to them, that I don’t need them to really feel that is the tip of the world,” Ivey stated. “We’ve got a brilliant future, beginning two freshmen and a sophomore.”

The Wolfpack received off to an honest begin and led 16-12 after one quarter earlier than the Irish received going behind their freshman Miles. She and fellow first-year participant Sonia Citron scored seven straight for the Irish to open up a 36-26 lead. The Wolfpack trailed 38-30 on the half. The lead stayed round eight for many of the third quarter earlier than the rally by N.C. State.

“The entire sport we didn’t wish to occur what did final 12 months,” Cunane stated. ‘We’re enjoying proper now just like the upset we had final 12 months. We weren’t enjoying with sufficient toughness. We wished to return out right here and go previous the Candy 16 and right here we’re. We needed to work arduous for it however we’re right here.”

BIG PICTURE

Notre Dame: The Irish are a really younger squad and are headed again to being one of many high groups within the nation.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack struggled many of the sport, however discovered a method to win ultimately and attain the Elite Eight with a senior-led squad.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Notre Dame: The Irish topped UMass within the first spherical earlier than routing fourth-seed Oklahoma 108-64 within the second.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack routed each Longwood and Kansas State to advance to the Candy 16.

MOTHERLY LOVE

It was a tough 24 hours for the Ivey household on the court docket. Niele Ivey made the two.5-hour journey down from Connecticut to Philadelphia to look at her son Jaden play within the males’s Candy 16 with Purdue. The Boilermakers misplaced to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s. She went to the group lodge and gave her son a hug earlier than returning to Connecticut round 2 a.m.

“It has been a troublesome 24 hours,” the Notre Dame coach stated after Saturday’s loss.