However, NC State’s Raina Perez stole the ball from Notre Dame’s Dara Mabrey and scored an open shot of 14.8 seconds to give the Wolfpack a one-point lead. Our Lady of Paris had one last chance to win slowly, but lost and Wolfpack won, 66-63, after making a couple of free throws to advance to their first Elite Eight since 1998. NC State beat Notre Dame 20-10 in the fourth quarter and Fighting Irish turned the ball over seven times, with the last being a knockout punch. The Fighting Irish used a strong second quarter to take the lead – The Irish outscored NC State by 12, scoring 10 of their 13 shots of the season. First-year guard Olivia Miles scored 15 points in the first half, including three points behind the bow. But in the fourth quarter, two steals from NC State’s Kai Crutchfield led to a quick five points and brought the Wolfpack to two points. Our Lady of Paris called for a timeout and eventually increased its lead to eight again, but the Wolfpack continued to take the lead and reduce its deficit to two again. It seemed that NC State had left the game still far behind when Elissa Cunane dealt a free kick and the team fell by one, but Perez stealing the clutch helped Wolfpack escape. Saturday was NC State’s fourth straight appearance in Sweet 16, but the team failed to qualify for the Elite Eight on three previous occasions, including last season when the first Wolfpack dropped to No. 4 in Indiana. NC State will face the winner of No. 2 U-Conn. and No. 3 in Indiana on Monday for a place in the Final Four.
