The NC State women’s basketball team took down archrival UNC-Chapel Hill 76-68 in front of a packed Reynolds Coliseum Sunday evening. The Wolfpack was out for blood against the Tar Heels, as the visitors ended the Pack’s unbeaten start to the season for the second year in a row just two weeks ago. Here are some of the numbers that stood out the most:
21 – Sophomore center Elissa Cunane and junior forward Kayla Jones’ combined first-half points. The duo scored a combined 18 points in the last matchup with UNC, but with UNC’s two star bigs, Janelle Bailey and Malu Tshitenge, being forced to the bench early with three fouls apiece, Cunane and Jones were able to go to work down low in the first half.
16 – Points scored by UNC’s Taylor Koenen in the first half. No other Tar Heel scored more than five points, as Koenen nearly single-handedly kept her team within touching distance with only a 7-point deficit at halftime. The 6-foot-2 guard went 6 for 9 from the field in the first half, while the rest of her teammates shot an abysmal 29% from the field.
11 – The number of double-doubles Cunane now has this season. After a disappointing performance in the Pack’s first matchup with UNC, the Wolfpack’s star big returned to her usual dominance in the grudge match, ending the game with 22 points and 17 rebounds.
48 – The Wolfpack 3-point shooting percentage. While the Pack has proven that it doesn’t need the 3 to win this season, drilling nearly half of its attempts from deep is never going to hurt. The Pack was led by senior guard and designated sharpshooter Aislinn “Ace” Konig’s four triples.
14 – Free throws made by Cunane. A big part of Cunane’s success against the Heels was her ability to not only draw both of UNC’s bigs into foul trouble, but also to knock down her shots from the line. The 14 makes is a career-high for Cunane, who shot 87.5% from the charity stripe against the Tar Heels.
18 – The Wolfpack’s rebounding margin over the Tar Heels. Another result of the Tar Heels’ bigs being in foul trouble was the Pack’s ability to be aggressive on the boards. The Wolfpack grabbed 46 total rebounds, and 17 of them were offensive, leading to 17 second-chance points.
52 – Amount of time the Wolfpack spent trailing the entire game, in seconds. A 3-pointer from Jones gave the Pack a 4-2 lead early in the first quarter, and from there the Wolfpack never looked back, leading for the rest of the game.
