No. 1 North Carolina State trailed No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday from the 7:43 mark in the second quarter almost to the very end of the game. The “Fighting Irishman” had to score with 35 seconds left and convert on the free throw line to win.
But Rayna Perez of North Carolina State stole the ball from Notre Dame’s Dara Mabre and scored with 14.8 seconds left to give the Wolf Pack a one-point lead. Notre Dame had one last chance to win late, but missed, and the Wolf Pack won 66–63, making a pair of free throws and advancing to their first Elite Eight since 1998.
North Carolina State beat Notre Dame 20-10 in the fourth quarter, and the Fighting Irishman turned the ball seven times, the last of which was a knockout.
The Fighting Irish used a strong second quarter to take the lead as the Irish outscored North Carolina State by 12 points and landed 10 of 13 shots in that period. Freshman guard Olivia Miles scored 15 points in the first half, including three shots from behind the arc.
But in the fourth quarter, two interceptions from North Carolina State’s Kai Crutchfield led to a quick five and brought the wolf pack to two. Notre Dame called a timeout and eventually extended their lead to eight, but the Wolf Pack continued to close the lead and reduced their deficit to two again.
NC State didn’t seem to be up to the game yet, with Elissa Cunaine splitting a pair of free throws and the team trailing by one, but Perez’s clutch theft helped save the wolf pack.
Saturday was NC State’s fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, but the team had failed to reach the Elite Eight in three previous chances, including last season when the top-seeded wolf pack dropped to 4th in Indiana. North Carolina State will face the No. 2 U-Conn winner. and No. 3 in Indiana on Monday for a place in the Final Four.