RALEIGH, N.C.-"I thought we played the worst half of basketball we've played all year in the first half," Virginia women's basketball coach Debbie Ryan said.
Although the Cavaliers (14-9, 5-5 ACC) made a strong run to draw the game close in the second half, they dug themselves too deep a hole and lost at N.C. State (13-8, 4-6) last night, 71-56.
Leading from the tip-off to the final buzzer, the Wolfpack opened the game on a 9-0 run and never looked back. A first half full of turnovers, missed shots and poor defense by the Cavaliers culminated in an 18-point lead for the 'Pack at halftime.
"We took real advantage of the turnovers that Virginia had in the first half," N.C. State coach Kay Yow said. "We had those extra attempts at the basket, and we made good use of them."
In the first half, the Wolfpack scored 18 points off 17 Virginia turnovers and attempted 10 more shots than the Cavaliers. Paced by 12 points from guard Ivy Gardner and 11 points from center Carisse Moody in the first half, N.C. State finished the half on a 10-2 run to lead, 39-21.
And after freshman point guard Anna Prillaman picked up two quick fouls in the opening 3 minutes, Virginia was left without a floor leader for the entire first half.
"There were times in the first half when I didn't feel like we were in any [offense]," Ryan said. "We were making bad decisions in terms of the turnovers."
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