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NO. 6 N.C. State 66, NO. 3 VIRGINIA 59

Why N.C. State won

The Cavaliers had the star (Monica Wright), but the Wolfpack had the balance and controlled the glass. Freshman Marissa Kastanek led four State scorers in double figures, with 15 points. Nikitta Gartrell played a great game at both ends of the court. She had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists and did her best to contain Wright.

Why Virginia lost

Not one Cavs player besides Wright played a good game. Ariana Moorer had nine points, but was 3-for-12. Of UVa's final 25 points, 24 came from Wright. The rest of the team had just nine shots from the floor and shot 25 percent.

Play of the game

With the shot clock winding down and the Wolfpack's lead cut from 14 points to four, Gartrell hit a 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining to give N.C. State a 58-51 lead.

The key player

ACC Player of the Year Wright shook off early foul trouble to finish with 32 points, seven rebounds and five steals. The only offensive threat for UVa down the stretch, she hit tough shots from all over the court and almost single-handedly kept UVa in the game.

What they're saying

"I wouldn't say it was a bad shot. But then I wouldn't say it was a good shot. The shot clock was running down. I just felt it and shot it." — Nikitta Gartrell, N.C. State guard, on her big 3-point basket

"When the rest of the team was really not up to par, (Wright) tried to will this team to win. She does this all of the time. Usually one or two come with her. Tonight I didn't feel very many were really on their games." — Debbie Ryan, Virginia coach

Noting the game

With State's win, today's semifinal will be the first 6-7 matchup in tournament history. ... Kastanek hit a 3 as time expired in the first half to give the Wolfpack a 27-24 lead.

N.C. STATE (19-12) — Holston 4-8 2-6 10, Ellison 0-1 0-0 0, White 3-10 1-1 8, Gartrell 4-11 3-6 12, Kastanek 4-12 4-4 15, Tasler 1-4 1-2 4, Strachan 3-9 2-2 11, Beal 2-5 2-2 6. Totals 21-60 15-23 66.

VIRGINIA (21-9) — Shine 1-2 0-0 2, Egwu 1-2 1-2 3, Gerson 1-9 0-0 3, Moorer 3-12 2-4 9, Wright 12-26 7-8 32, W.Edwards 0-2 0-0 0, Kellum 1-5 2-6 4, McCall 1-2 2-2 4, Hartig 1-1 0-0 2, B.Edwards 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-62 14-22 59.

Halftime—N.C. State, 27-24. 3-point goals—N.C. State 9-20 (Strachan 3-5, Kastanek 3-6, Tasler 1-2, Gartrell 1-3, White 1-4), Virginia 3-14 (Moorer 1-2, Wright 1-3, Gerson 1-5, Kellum 0-2, W.Edwards 0-2). Rebounds—N.C. State 47 (Ellison 9), Virginia 37 (Gerson, Wright 7). Assists—N.C. State 9 (Beal, Gartrell 3), Virginia 5 (Shine 3). Total Fouls—N.C. State 16, Virginia 18. A—8,061