The NC State women’s basketball team defeated North Florida 93-65 in its first game of the year inside Reynolds Coliseum. This win marks the Pack’s 18th straight victory in season openers.

Junior center Elissa Cunane turned in a strong performance and got up to over 1,000 career points in the first game of her junior season. That number is hard to come by for some of the best basketball players, let alone for a player in basically just two seasons.

“It means a lot,” Cunane said. “Some people don’t know that they’re gonna hit it, but I knew last year that I was close towards the end of the season. But when COVID-19 hit, I knew I wasn’t going to get it. So coming into today’s game, I was a little nervous that I knew it in my mind. It was cool; the bucket I got it on was an assist from [graduate transfer guard] Raina [Perez]. I think all the points I have really just amount to how good my teammates are at getting me the ball.”

However, it was senior guard Kai Crutchfield that turned in the most impressive performance for the Pack in this game, as she finished with 21 points on an astounding 80% shooting, coming one 3-pointer and two points shy of her career highs in those respective areas.

“I thought she shot the ball extremely well,” said head coach Wes Moore. “I know she’s been putting the extra work in, and it’s good to see that pay off. We need Kai Crutchfield to be consistent; she’s had some big games for us. She’s had some big games in some big games, to go to the Sweet 16. She’s really stepped up in some of those important games… Great start for her. I’m excited about it, and hopefully, it’s something she can build on.”

Crutchfield completely took over the first half and never stopped, as she shot a perfect four for four from deep, ending up with 13 points by the end of the half. For context, before this game, Crutchfield’s career high for 3-pointers made was five. The most impressive play came in the first half, where she knocked down an and-one 3-pointer, giving the Pack a four-point play and a 31-20 lead.

“[Former NC State guard Aislinn Konig], when she left and while she was here, she definitely gave me some of her IQ, some of her basketball knowledge, and I feel like that’s what you do as a point guard and leader,” Crutchfield said. “On top of that, coach recruited me as a combo guard…I feel like I’ve been prepared.”

After shaking off the rust early in the first quarter, the Pack never looked back and kept its foot on the gas. Sophomore duo forward Jada Boyd and wing Jakia Brown-Turner looked impressive early on, accounting for 11 of the Pack’s first 14 points. Boyd ended her first start with a double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Brown-Turner finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

“It felt really good but I felt like I could’ve done better on the defensive end,” Boyd said. “I gave away a few buckets, but overall, I felt like I did a pretty good job…[I learned] to have some composure, to slow it down, look inside. Over the offseason, I definitely worked on my shot a little, just to get some consistency with it.”

The Pack shot the ball well overall, finishing with a 49% clip from the floor and 39% from deep on 28 attempts. One area of focus for the Pack, despite good shooting statistics, will be to clean up some of the shot selections in the game. Meanwhile, the North Florida Ospreys shot just 41% from the floor.

Brown-Turner may be on a few national watch lists, but that doesn’t prevent her from being an underrated piece to this versatile Pack roster. Her versatility and defensive presence is unmatched. Crutchfield and her set the scene for some of the on-ball defense for other guards in the game, even though the overall defense was lacking.

The Pack finished the game with a total of 10 steals, with Crutchfield accounting for three while Brown-Turner and freshman guard Genesis Bryant finished with two apiece.

One of the biggest questions in the offseason was who would replace Aislinn Konig, the ACC Tournament MVP from last season. Moore opted to start Crutchfield as the lead point guard and put Boyd in the starting lineup to fill Konig’s spot. Crutchfield set the tone and was the offensive leader that the Pack needed while Perez and Bryant filled in nicely off the bench.

While Perez didn’t start, she made her presence felt almost immediately. Despite a 5-foot-4 frame, Perez and Bryant are both tenacious defenders and finished with three steals combined in the contest. Not many teams in the nation have a player like Perez coming off their bench. She finished with four points and four assists in the game.

Bryant also didn’t start and didn’t seem to be a part of the initial bench rotation, but she also found a way to make an impact early in her Wolfpack career. Redshirt freshman forward Elle Sutphin, freshman guard Dontavia Waggoner and freshman guard Rebecca Demeke all made their Wolfpack debuts, with Sutphin boxing out noticeably well, and Waggoner and Demeke both splashing in 3-pointers.

“I thought our on-the-ball defense was not good today, that was probably the most disappointing thing,” Moore said. “We got beat off the bounce a lot, but I did think Raina and Genesis did a pretty good job defensively of trying to stay between their man and the rim and keeping the ball in front of them…Both of them did make plays on the defensive end, and that’s good to see…You definitely want them to make plays on the ball and keep people in front of them. We’re excited about both of those players.”

The Wolfpack’s newcomers, Perez, Bryant, Demeke, Waggoner and Sutphin, accounted for 21 of the Pack’s 93 points, a good sign for the future of Moore’s program. In all, 12 players scored for the Pack, all players that checked into the game.

“I think we got a lot of people that can score the ball and that can make plays,” Moore said. “The hard part is going to be, without scrimmage, without an exhibition game, trying to come up with a rotation in roles that you’re comfortable with. Part of that’s on the coaches and part of that’s on the players to separate themselves.”

Next up, the Pack takes on Radford on Sunday, Nov. 29 inside Reynolds Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.