Sports

Photos: N.C. State wins third straight ACC Women's Basketball Tournament title

WUNC | By Mitchell Northam

Published March 7, 2022 at 3:39 PM EST

N.C. State's Kayla Jones (left) and Raina Perez (right) celebrate the Wolfpack's third-straight ACC Tournament Championship on Sunday, March 6, 2022 in Greensboro, N.C.

Seventh-seeded Miami barreled through the opening rounds of the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament in Greensboro like a storm. It seemed fitting that their nickname is the Hurricanes.

Katie Meier's team beat Duke with ease, then stunned nationally-ranked Louisville on a buzzer-beater by Destiny Harden, and then followed that up by taking down Notre Dame in the semifinals. Miami's reward for a memorable and remarkable run to their first-ever ACC Championship appearance? A match-up with top-seeded N.C. State.

The Wolfpack — entering the tournament ranked third in the AP Top 25 Poll — topped Florida State and a wounded Virginia Tech team comfortably in the earlier rounds. Against Miami, N.C. State weathered a slow start as the Canes jumped out to a 12-9 lead, but then the Wolfpack punched back and ran away with the game.

For the third straight year, Wes Moore's N.C. State team won the ACC Tournament, with a 60-47 win over Miami on Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum. For the second consecutive season, Wolfpack center Elissa Cunane was named the tournament's MVP.

N.C. State senior center Elissa Cunane celebrates after the Wolfpack topped Miami on Sunday in Greensboro for their third straight ACC title. A native of nearby Summerfield, N.C. is likely to be a first round pick in this year's WNBA Draft. Before that, she aims to lead N.C. State to the Final Four for the first time since 1998.

"These young ladies have been unbelievable. I always said when I got to this level, I wanted to win with high-character individuals, and it's just been such a great journey," Moore said. "It's just been an amazing ride."

Cunane finished the game with 17 points, eight rebounds, a block and an assist — despite missing portions of the third and fourth quarters while being evaluated for a leg injury.

"I just took a bad fall, but I'm good and I'll be back out there," Cunane said. "I trusted my team to be able to handle the game, but ... I was pretty happy to be out there for the last couple minutes."

By winning three straight tournament crowns, N.C. State joins an exclusive ACC group of teams that have completed a three-peat. The others include Notre Dame (2014-2017), North Carolina (2005-2008), Duke (2000-2004) and former ACC member Maryland (1981-1983).

Below is a collection of photos from five action-packed days at the tournament in Greensboro:

In the second round on Thursday, Wake Forest's Olivia Summiel takes a shot against Georgia Tech. Wake coach Jen Hoover revealed after the game that Summiel played with a broken wrist. Despite that, she averaged nine rebounds per-game, which led all players in the tournament. Wake's 45-40 loss to Georgia Tech was the second-lowest-scoring game in tournament history.

Miami's Destiny Harden shows emotion after being fouled by Louisville on a lay-up. Harden scored 15 of Miami's final 17 points, powering the Canes to an upset over the second-seeded Cardinals. A senior, Harden finished off her incredible performance with a career-high-tying 27 points.

Miami's bench celebrates during its comeback against Louisville. The Cardinals scored their final bucket at the 5:45 mark in the fourth quarter. From there, Louisville shot 0-for-5 from the floor and had five turnovers as Miami scored 17 straight points. It's the first time since Louisville joined the conference in 2014 that it didn't advance to the semifinals.

Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley sits on the bench as the Hokies face N.C. State. Kitley was this year's ACC Player of the Year, but injured her shoulder in the Hokies' quarterfinal match-up against North Carolina. Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks said Kitley wanted to play, but he held her out to preserve her for the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia Tech's Georgia Amoore takes a shot over N.C. State's Kai Crutchfield in the semifinals. With Elizabeth Kitley and Cayla King sidelined for the Hokies, Amoore had to carry more of the scoring load for Virginia Tech. Amoore was voted to the All-ACC Tournament First Team after averaging 16.3 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per-game across three contests in Greensboro.

Miami's Kelsey Marshall fights through Notre Dame's Sonia Citron (left) and Maya Dodson (right) on Saturday. A senior, Marshall powered Miami to a 57-54 semifinal triumph over the Irish with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists.

N.C. State's Diamond Johnson fires up a three-pointer in Sunday's championship game vs. Miami. While Elissa Cunane was sidelined, Johnson -- recently voted the ACC's Sixth Player of the Year -- knocked down two shots from behind the arc to keep N.C. State's lead in-tact. She finished with 11 points, three assists and three steals.

N.C. State coach Wes Moore looks at the crowd as he makes the shape of a heart with his hands on Sunday. Moore's Wolfpack finished the season with a 20-1 record against ACC opponents and are projected to have a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket next week.