GREENSBORO, N.C. – Lorelaj Cubaj and Lotta-Maj Lahtinen each scored 17 points as Georgia Tech led third-ranked NC State into the final three minutes, but the Wolfpack rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to earn a 66-61 victory over the Yellow Jackets Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Tech (15-8), the No. 3 seed in the tournament, returns to Atlanta to await its post-season fate, while NC State (19-2) moves on to defend its ACC title Sunday at noon against top-seeded Louisville.
Elissa Cunane and Kai Crutchfield led the Wolfpack comeback in the fourth period, each scoring eight points as NC State erased a 53-43 deficit. Cunane gave the defending champs their first lead since the second period with a layup at the 2:25 mark, and she scored her team’s last eight points on a pair of layups and four free throws. She finished the game with 23 points and nine rebounds, hitting 8-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the foul line.
A pair of layups from Cubaj, the ACC’s co-defensive player of the year, led Tech over the final six minutes. The All-ACC senior’s bucket at 4:26 on the clock gave Tech a 59-56 lead, and she broke a scoring drought of more than four minutes with her final basket with 10 seconds remaining. Cubaj hit 8-of-18 shots from the floor, adding 11 rebounds for her 12th double-double this season.