The No. 7 NC State women’s basketball team will travel to Clemson, South Carolina this Thursday for a conference matchup against the Clemson Tigers, a team the Wolfpack has beaten the last 10 times the two teams have met.
Since falling for the first time this season against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Jan. 9, the Wolfpack (19-1, 8-1 ACC) has been on a hot streak as of late, reeling off five straight victories. The Pack’s most recent outing was a physical and emotional revenge victory over North Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 26. Sophomore center Elissa Cunane had one of the most impressive performances of her career, scoring 22 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and drawing 11 fouls in the 76-68 win over the Tar Heels.
The Tigers (7-13, 3-6 ACC) come into the game 13th in the ACC standings, having lost two straight games and five out of their last seven. They have struggled on offense thus far this season, scoring 61.2 points per game (13th in the ACC), and shooting 39% from the field (13th in the ACC).
Turnovers have also been an issue for the Tigers as they rank dead last in the ACC in turnover margin at -4.4. One of the few bright spots for them has been their offensive rebounding, as they are tied for first in the ACC with 15.5 offensive rebounds per game. The battle of the boards will be an interesting part of the game to watch, as the Wolfpack is first in the ACC in defensive rebounding with 31.9 defensive rebounds per game.
While the Tigers have struggled, the Wolfpack has been one of the most balanced teams in the ACC this season. The Pack comes into the game at fourth in the ACC in points per game (74.5), second in points allowed per game (54.2), third in field-goal percentage (44.6%), first in opponent field-goal percentage (33.4%), first in 3-point field-goal percentage (36.5%), second in opponent 3-point field-goal percentage (27.8%), and second in assists per game (15.55). It is currently just behind Louisville at second in the conference standings.
Leading the Pack will be Cunane, who has had a first-team All-ACC caliber season thus far. She comes into the game at sixth in the ACC in points per game (17.0), first in rebounds per game (10.6), first in field-goal percentage (59.6%), and eighth in blocked shots per game (1.3).
The Tigers’ leading scorer coming into Thursday’s game is forward Kobi Thornton, who averages 12.2 points per game. She could spend some time battling with Cunane down low. Another Tigers player to watch out for is guard Kendall Spray, who is a 3-point specialist, having knocked down the third-most 3-pointers in the ACC with 52 on the season. She could be trading shots from downtown with senior guard Aislinn Konig of NC State, who has hit the joint-fourth-most 3-pointers in the ACC with 50.
If the Pack is able to pound the ball inside with Cunane, win the battle of the boards, avoid turning the ball over and force the Tigers to turn the ball over, expect an 11th straight victory for the Wolfpack over Clemson.
The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on RSN.
