It looked for a while that #10 NC State had run out of gas against #2 seed Miami as the Hurricanes threw an early storm surge at State's door. Miami blew out to an early 20-3 lead and then boosted that to 26-7 as the Wolfpack Women turned the ball over 7 times. State slowly cut into the lead as Miami's subs couldn't keep up the torrid scoring pace of the starters, but the 'canes righted the ship and led by 12 at the half. When Miami's Shenise Johnson hit a trey with 17:41 left to put her team up by 13, the fun really began for those in attendance. State went on an incredible 23-7 run fueled by threes and 8 points by hard-working forward Bonae Holston.

The Canes refused to fold, rallying behind guard Riquna Williams and forward Morgan Stroman. The tide of the game turned when State's Brittany Strachan fired up a three that went about 3/4 of the way down before popping out. Miami's Stefanie Yderstrom drained a three to put her team up by 5. State cut the margin to 1 with 4:41 left, but Williams scored on a difficult layup. The Pack finally ran out of comebacks and Miami earned only its second-ever victory in the tournament. State coach Kellie Harper was heartbroken after the loss, and it's easy to understand why: this team had no size and little depth, but no deficit ever deterred their willingness to compete. For Katie Meier's bunch, they won a tournament game with a lot of pressure on them. The further they manage to go, the more confident they'll become.

Top Performers:

• MIA Shenise Johnson: 25 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
• MIA Riquna Williams: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
• NCSU Bonae Holston: 25 points, 11 rebounds