Cavaliers Now

The ACC Women’s Tournament Play by Play: Day 3 (part 1)

It's Day Three in Greensboro and the top dawgs have arrived. Val is still there with the sights and sounds of Tourney Week.
Val Prochaska|
The ACC

OK, I am back.  Got a little punchy at the end of a four-game day.  It’s Day Three and the top guns have come to play.  In the past 10 years of so of the double-bye format, the only teams who have won the ACC Tournament have come from Day Three arrivals.  This year the top four seeds are NC State, Notre Dame, Duke and Florida State. 

11:00am – Game Eight:  UNC vs Florida State

For the second tournament in three years, FSU has drawn the short-stick as it were, first as a five seed and now a four seed.  That means they play the first game on Thursday or the first game on Friday.  That means that they are playing games in front of the most packed houses of the entire tournament.  And they’ve had to play schools from the state of North Carolina, which is blatantly unfair.

Duke, UNC and NC State will get to sleep in their beds this week, maybe make morning classes, and have largely home-fan crowds.  (This is something like the 26th tournament being held here in Greensboro.)  Now, when the ACC was just an eight-team league with half the schools from Tobacco Road, it made some sense for everything to be centered here.  But now, the ACC spans from Boston to Miami to Pittsburgh and South Bend, Illinois.  Oh wait, we’re the All Coast Conference now.  We’ve got two teams from California here.  How can all these ADs from such far-flung schools continue to allow four North Carolina schools such a blatant advantage? 

Now that Virginia, and to a lesser extent Boston College, have been eliminated, I will be rooting for any team that is playing a North Carolina school.

First Quarter

6:18  Both teams have been pushing in transition.  UNC with the early 5 – 4 lead.

4:23  Reniya Kelly is back and has the three to prove it.  UNC 10 – 4.

3:54  Carolina refs.  Sheesh.  FSU’s Makayla Timpson is bumped as she’s rebounding, and falls down.  UNC’s Blanca Thomas steps on her, but the foul is called on Timpson.  Poetic justice, though, as Thomas misses her free throws.

0:56  UNC’s Lanie Grant with a three.  UNC up 20 – 9.

0.37  Amaya Bonner answers with a three of her own.  UNC takes so long gathering up the ball that the shot clock doesn’t start until there are 28 seconds left and the shot clock is turned off.  Could have been 3D-chess thinking… Maria Gakdeng scores at the buzzer.  UNC up by ten, 22 – 12.

Second Quarter

9:46  Timpson and the And-1.  22 – 15 UNC.

FSU’s Big Three of O’Mariah Gordon, Timpson and Ta’Niya Latson were 1/9 for two points in the first quarter.  They need more of this.

 6:35  Timpson blocks Gakdeng.  Twice.  But Gakdeng is relentless, gets the ball and the foul.   She only makes one free throw. UNC 23 – 17. (This clip is not this play, but it shows Gakdeng at her unrelenting best.)

5:42  Gordon, who sports the best nickname in college --  OMG – connects on two buckets back-to-back, the second of which is a three.  FSU on a 10 – 1 run to start this quarter. 

4:35  This is one of the best moments of the tournament.  The UNC band plays Sweet Caroline…  and UNC fans don’t know the words.  Pathetic.  So, as a public service to any Tar Heels reading this…

Where it began
I can't begin to know when
But then I know it's growin' strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believe you'd come along?

Hands
Touchin' hands
Reachin' out
Touching me, touchin' you

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would

But now I look at the night
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin' runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holdin' you?

Warm
Touchin' warm
Reachin' out
Touchin' me, touchin' you

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would, oh, no, no

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Sweet Caroline
I believe they never could
Sweet Caroline

4:14  Timpson’s third block of the quarter.  (She’s got four already.)  FSU up 24 – 22.

2:30  Indya Nivar scores.  UNC is just 1/15 for this quarter, but FSU is only up 27 – 25.  FSU is playing with fire.  But perhaps of greater concern, Latson is not right.  She’s 2/6 for six points which is far short of her Division I leading 25 points per game pace.

Third Quarter

10:00 FSU 31 – 27 as the Heels had a five-point second quarter.

6:45  Alyssa Ustby, perhaps the premier glue-guy in the ACC, cans a three.  UNC within two, 34 – 32.

6:03  Nivar ties up Timpson and strips the ball away for the second time this game.  She scores for good measure.  37 – 32 UNC.  Latson seems to be sitting a lot this game.

3:06 FSU’s Brianna Turnage turnaround jumper.  39 -38 UNC.

0:50  Timpson blocks Ustby for the block of the tournament.  She’s at [checks notes] six for the game.

Fourth Quarter

8:04  Make that seven blocks.

7:23  Latson 2/2 free throws and it’s all tied up at 48.  But Latson is just at nine points on 2/9 shooting.

For this second day, the UNC cheer squad has added three more guys.  (You can do that when you’re the home team.)  This must be what ringer cheerleaders look like.  These guys are huge.

7:08  Five foot nothing OMG blocks Ustby.  It’s a foul, of course.  Ustby has a foot on Gordon, still quite the sight.

5:29  Second three-offensive board possession for FSU.  Both times they have come away empty.  Can’t leave points on the court.

Louisville fan courtside takes a selfie with the FSU mascot.  Now, that’s a heteroflexible fan.

4:33 Ustby is hot – 2/3 with four rebounds this quarter – and UNC is up 52 – 50.

3:55 Timpson blocks a surprisingly weak attempt from Ustby, but doesn’t get credit in the stats.  Kelly scored on the putback, UNC 54 – 50.

2:10  Latson gets the steal, accelerates for the layup.  54 – 54.  Latson now 3/14.

1:08  The women are playing like this is their last game of the season.  The intensity is off the charts.  FSU is one for their last ten, UNC one for their last seven.

1:01  Kelly scores off in-bounds.  56 – 54.

0.20  Kelly jumper at the elbow.  UNC 58 – 54.

Deja who?

0.7 Gakdeng with the heads-up play with FSU about to in-bounds the ball.  She fouls Timpson before the in-bound pass so that Timpson has to go to the line to shoot.  This makes more sense than risking a three from OMG or Latson.  Timpson misses the second shot on purpose, but UNC grabs the board and the game, 60 – 56.

1:30 – Game Nine:  NC State vs Georgia Tech

Oops, I was wrong.  It’s Georgia Tech that has the throne in their promotional vid.  Not Virginia Tech.  It’s still cool.  As for NC State, their vid has way too many shots of players preening and strutting.  Even the game footage is mostly players roaring and beating their chests.  Advantage Georgia Tech.

First Quarter

7:20  As befits the regular-season champion, NC State has the lion’s share of All-ACC team members who were announced pre-game to the adoring crowd.  Georgia Tech’s Tonie Morgan seems to be taking it personally with two drives into the heart of the State defense.  Tech up 8 – 4.

6:55 Aziaha James’ response?  A lovely reverse scoop and layup.

2:58  State’s Madison Hayes gets the Duke-whine award.  She’s complaining to refs every stoppage of play.  Meanwhile, Morgan hits from the elbow.  GT up 17 – 12.

1:26  James is here to play.  Another baseline reverse and she’s got eight.  Georgia Tech still up 20 -14.

Second Quarter

9:40 James picks up her second foul and NC State fans are incensed.  NC State tears are almost as good as UNC tears.

7:41 Zamareya Jones is 2/2 from the line.  She has eight points.  And she’s NC State’s fifth (!) guard.

7:08  Jones from the elbow.  24 – 20 in favor of Tech.

3:23 Jones has cooled off as she’s missed corner-3s her last two trips, but Georgia Tech can’t capitalize, Tech up 30 -28.

1:03  Hayes and Saniya Rivers hit back-to-back threes for the Wolfpack.  State had been 0/5 to that point.  State up 38 – 34.

Halftime

A new feature here for ACC Tournament Week: The Cold Steel Drum line from North Carolina A&T. 

Third Quarter

8:45  Morgan gets the ball at the top of the key for two drives and two buckets.  Georgia Tech back on top 41 – 38.

7:45  Rivers answers with a three, 41 all.

5:37 James has goaded Kayla Blackshear into a hooking foul and drawn a charge on Kara Dunn.  Tech is up 46 – 43.

2:54 Tilda Trygger explosion for State as she’s scored six straight.  GT’s Dani Carnegie answers with six straight of her own.  Tech up 52 – 49.

0:01  Rivers at the buzzer, again.  State has taken the lead, 53 – 53.

Fourth Quarter

As much as I don’t like Wes Moore.  His sideline antics are off the chart most days and he seems incredibly entitled, but he can coach.  The Wolfpack play physical, in-your-face D, and here they are, having committed only six fouls.  And he’s not benefiting from Carolina reffing, either.

6:45  Back-to-back threes by Dunn and Chazadi Wright gives Tech the 60 – 56 lead.

5:48  Zoe Brooks responds to each with a bucket.  62 – 60 Tech.

5:11 Brooks with a coast-to-coast layup and it’s all tied at 62.

3:43  Georgia Tech is doing a lot of standing around on offense waiting for the ball to get into Morgan’s hands.  I mean she’s scored 21 points on 9/18 shooting, but the team is stagnant.  (I asked the two UNC scouts in front of me after the game what they saw in Tech’s play, and they concurred with my assessment.  Kudos to me!)

1:40  Jones for three and State lead 69 – 66.  I knew this shot was going in the minute James grabbed the rebounded and headed up court.  State has too many weapons: four players in double figures and Rivers and Hayes knocking at nine apiece.

0.15  Carnegie 2/2 at the line.  Tech up 72 – 71.

0.07  James to the line where she’ll go 2/2.  It was a light foul.  I take back what I said about Carolina refs.  73 – 72 NC State.

0.00  Tech can’t get the shot off.  Just perfect defense from NC State.

The first semi-final is set.  UNC vs NC State.  (Memo to me:  get there early.  The place will be packed.)

Bonus Score: Virginia Tech West, otherwise known as Kentucky, lost in their first game of the SEC Tournament. I liked the program Kenny Brooks was building in Blscksburg, and as an ACC fan, the more strong programs, the better. But since he decamped to Kentucky, and took Georgia Amoore with him, I've been secretly wishing the worst for the team. And today they got just that, falling to Oklahoma 69 - 65. Amoore did score 29 points, but it took her 27 shots to do so.

Published | Modified
Val Prochaska
VAL PROCHASKA

Val graduated from the University of Virginia in the last millennium, back when writing one's senior thesis by hand was still a thing. He is a lifelong fan of the ACC, having chosen the Tobacco Road conference ahead of the Big East. Again, when that was still a thing. Val has covered Virginia men's basketball for nine years, first with HoosPlace and then with StreakingTheLawn, before joining us here at Virginia Cavaliers on SI in August of 2023, continuing to cover UVA men's basketball and also writing about women's soccer and women's basketball.

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