Nikitta Gartrell (pictured) had 23 points and Bonae Holston added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, but N.C. State came up just short in a 74-71 women’s basketball loss at South Carolina.
Valerie Nainima had a game-high 27 points to lead the Gamecocks (5-3), while Samone Kennedy added 18 and Kelsey Bone 10.
Amber White added 13 points and Emili Tasler 11 for NCSU (6-4).
USC had a small lead for almost the entire game, but was never up by more than seven in the second half.
The game’s biggest bucket was a 3-pointer from Kennedy to make it 74-68 with 19 seconds left. Gartrell completed the scoring on a 3-pointer with three seconds to play.
State outshot USC 41.5 percent to 38.0, but lost the rebound battle 45-39 and committed 22 turnovers to the Gamecocks’ 16.
